Through the Fire and the Flames
by TheConcernedCookie
Summary: Olette never meant to tangle herself in Roxas' life. She just wanted to hear the stories. After several failed attempts and many depressing years, maybe his story will finally be complete. AxelxRoxas. Olette.
1. Prologue

**Mmkay, everyone. This is the prologue to my first story. It's just an excerpt taken from a future chapter. I tried to write a real summary, but they all just sucked. So I took a couple lines from the song "Through the Fire and Flames", which the story is named after. I'm sure most of you know that song b/c my brother told me it's on one of the oh-so-popular Guitar Hero games, or something like that. **

**Well, I'm not sure when I'll actually get the first chapter up yet, but I'm trying. Stick around if you're interested in the story. It might be a little confusing but I really am trying to keep things organized.**

**Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know I don't own anything except my own ideas.**

**Warning: This fic does contain boy/boy love and lots of language. If you don't like, you probably shouldn't read.**

* * *

"What the hell did you expect from me Rox?" He threw his hands up in defeat, "You were fucking twelve!" 

Roxas glared at the red head, "What the hell does that have anything to do with?"

Axel's emerald eyes flashed with anger, "Oh, come on, I was a freshman! Not only was I dealing with the fact that I could possibly be GAY, but I was gay for my best friend... and not just any best friend... it was you! My twelve year-old, blond, innocent, little, HOT best friend! You think I didn't want you? Oh god... did I want you..." His eyes flashed with lust. "But I was four years older than you! I freaked, okay?"

"So you left me? Do you know what I've been through since you walked away? The hell I had to make it through all on my own... managing to barely thrive off a promise you once made me?"

"A promise I also kept, might I remind you!" The taller boy brought his hand on to Roxas's shoulder, "If I truly didn't care about you, why would I wait for you for four years? Four fucking years!"

The blond scowled, "If you really cared, you never would have thrown those scissors at me, huh?"

Axel growled, "What do you _want_ from me? I apologized for that shit!"

"Never ever did you apologize!" Roxas crossed his arms. Axel had never truly apologized, well, at least not out loud. The two simple tattoos under his eyes had been a tribute to Roxas, though; a silent and _permanent_ apology for the scars that had been left behind on the other. That had meant the world to Roxas at the time; It still did, actually. His pride wouldn't allow him to say that though.

Axel backed a step away, fingering the black triangles on his face.

Roxas looked away.

"I'm sorry, okay? I made a mistake and I know it... I was..."

His voice trailed off and he swallowed.

Neither spoke.

Roxas tilted his head, "You were what?"

Axel sighed and glanced between the shorter boy and his shoes, "Scared."

The blond snorted, "Ha! Now you're just being dramatic... you've never been scared a day in your life!"

The emeralds flashed dangerously, "You don't know a thing about me, Roxas! You really fucking don't. You didn't then and you don't now. I was a fool to wait all this time. I wasted all my high school years for a dream that you refuse to let come true."

With a final sigh, and no response from Roxas, the red head turned to leave, "I kept my end of the deal... what about you?"

Roxas swallowed, "I can't."

Axel scoffed, "I swear to God... you were more mature when you were twelve."

"Years changed me." He shrugged, feeling braver than he actually was.

"Yeah, no doubt."

_--------------------------_

_"I can't... not now... not here... give me time, okay? I promise you... in four years I'll find you... but only if you promise to let me."_

_"I promise."_

* * *

_**- Jaspen**_


	2. Look at Me

**Hello everybody. So here's the first chapter. I'm not real proud of it, I'll admit. I have so many ideas buzzing in my head for later chapters that my first couple seem to rush out. I've been making adjusments and rewriting the first chapter for a while now trying to make it a little better. Here's what I ended up with. This is only my first story though and I hope my writing improves as the story progresses. That's my goal, at least.**

**Anyway I decided every chapter title will be the name of a song I like and the first few words of each chapter will probably be some of the lyrics. Fun stuff, I know. The songs will range everywhere from heavy metal to broadway soundtracks. I like a little of everything.**

**So right now, the story is told from neither Roxas or Axel's voint of view. They won't come in to the story for a little bit yet, but I promise in the end it will be a Roxas/Axel fic. I was just trying to come up with a creative way of leading up to their romance. **

**Anyway, R&R if you wanna.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not the characters, the setting, the chapter titles, nothing.**

**Warning: Swearing and boy/boy love.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Look at Me**

_You must start anew,_

_Don't know what you must do,_

_Hold your head high,_

_Take a deep breath and sigh_

"You're in my spot, girl."

Ugh.

"You can't sit there either."

Seriously.

"Sorry hun, seat's taken."

That's it!

Setting my hands on my hips, I gave my best glare. In response, they only raised an eyebrow and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Come on, you can sit over here." I turned to see a silver-haired boy gesturing to the seat behind him. I cautiously made my way over as everyone watched us.

"Jesus, would you all look away already? I see that she's pretty and I know I'm devilishly good looking, but seriously, this is too much." They all rolled their eyes muttering and chuckling.

My cheeks flushed even redder and I sat down in my new desk, "Uh... thanks."

He brushed his silver locks out of his face and sighed, "Must be tough having classes with upperclassmen, huh?"

"It's not so bad. I only have a couple all year." Did I just squeak? I was not a girl who 'squeaked!"

He didn't seem to notice and continued smiling at me, "Wow, I still remember freshman year… crazy times."

His face twisted for a moment, "You remind me of someone."

At that moment our teacher flew through the door and set her bag on her desk, "Students! Liste-" Her attention focused on a loud sophomore up front, "Selphie?"

"Yup?"

"Could you like… shut up?"

Selphie dropped her head, muttering an apology, "Sorry Yuffie."

"Well today I was thinki-" She stopped her speech again. Her eyes settled on me.

"What's this? Do we have a freshman in our class? Since when did they add _freshmen _to the list?" Yuffie scratched her head, "Oh well! The more the merrier! Welcome to World Lit., the stupidest class ever added to the system! But I try my best to keep you guys interested." She ruffled up some senior's hair in front of her and he scowled back.

"Oh cheer up, Cloudie! I see summer did nothing to improve your ever so antisocial self. Of course, if I had an older brunette like that locked up inside my apartment, I'd be content as well." The boy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Anyway, I suppose we should probably start class before the principal checks in, huh? Don't want any repeats of last year!" She clapped her hands together and practically giggled, "So on to Shakespeare! I know… exciting, right?"

Despite my extremely... _interesting_ teacher, I still managed to lose focus. I stared out the window and my mind wandered to the weather. It was perfect out, as usual. For some reason it hardly rained in Twilight Town. Hell, it hardly did anything but bask in sunlight. Yet over in Destiny Islands, a small village only two or so miles away, across a small bridge, and over the shallow beaches of the ocean, it rained regularly once a week. My house is on the edge of town and sometimes, If I sit by my window, I can see the storm clouds gathering over the small islands, gaining strength for the long night of showers and lightning ahead.

"Kid? Kiiid?"

I snapped to attention and the silver-haired boy chuckled, "You alive?"

"Yeah, sorry… what are we doing anyway?"

"Absolutely nothing. Just like every other day. Yuffie had to take a phone call in the office, so we're waiting for her to get back."

"Oh. She almost lookes like she could be _you're_ age." I pointed out.

"She's only twenty three. She's good friends with Cloud and his roommate and some other people around town too. Last year was her first year teaching here and the only reason she sticks around is to keep an eye out for her younger friends. Once they all graduate, she's gone."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so what were you thinking so hard about a second ago?"

"Oh that? Nothing, just how much it'd suck to live on the islands."

"Why would that suck?"

I shrugged, "It gets rain a lot."

He shrugged as well, "Nah, you get used to it, and it usually happens at night anyway."

"You live on the islands?" My eyes widened. When I moved here, just last year, for the start of eighth grade, I was told one very important thing. I was told to remember, when I became a freshman, that only a couple kids from the Twilight Public High School lived on Destiny Islands. Not only were they all best friends, but they were also the most popular kids in school. Everyone wanted to be a part of them.

"Yup." He smiled, "Love it too. The air seems fresher over there. We only have one track running through, so you can't hear trains all night."

The bell rang as Yuffie walked in the door and we all rushed to leave.

Cloud lingered by Yuffie's desk and I heard her mutter, "I'll see you and Squall later, mkay?"

The blond senior nodded and left. I quickly gathered my books and was surprised to see two people waiting for me. The silver-haired boy and the sophomore named Selphie stood in the doorway, nodding to Cloud as he left.

"What do you have next?" He asked me with a curious tone.

"P.E." I frowned.

"Me too!" Selphie squealed, "Let's go together!"

"Sure." I shrugged.

"We'll catch you later Riku! Get back to me about coming into town this weekend, 'kay?" Selphie waved my new friend off, "I'll see you on the walk home."

"You live on the islands too?" I asked.

"Sure do!" She smiled, "Most beautiful place ever. My front yard is literally the beach."

"Must be nice." I sighed.

"Oh, it's amazing! Well, do you wanna meet in front of the locker rooms?" She smiled at me. I nodded and we parted for our separate hallways.

First day of high school and all ready two of the most popular kids in the school were hanging around me. I admit, I never really cared for popularity back in middle school, and I still don't today… but something felt right about these guys. They were genuinely nice. Not fake like popular kids on T.V. shows and stuff. They _wanted_ to be my friend.

"Hey girl." A warm breath curled over my ear and I grinned as Hayner hugged me from behind, "How was first period?"

I turned in his arms and poked his nose, "Good, I suppose. I made two new friends."

"Really? Who?" He kissed my cheek and released me slowly.

"Some sophomore named Selphie and a senior named Riku." I _think_ Riku was his name.

"Seriously? Riku is one of the most popular kids in the school!" I must have given him a certain look, because he crossed his arms and leaned against the locker next to mine, "Should I be jealous?"

"Yeah." I opened my locker, "He totally hit on me and later we're going back to his place for hot steamy sex."

He rolled his eyes, "One: Nobody from the islands invites outsiders over, except for a few exceptions. Two: Riku is gay."

I stopped and looked at him, "One: What? Two: How do you know?"

Hayner shrugged, "You have to be pretty damn special for one of them to offer you an invitation to come home with them. And everyone knows Riku's gay, Olette."

"Well, I didn't." I frowned and shut my locker.

"Jeez, Olette. It's your first day of high school, I wouldn't expect you to know much."

"Yeah." I agreed and he walked me to the gym. Selphie was waiting, like she said she would, and her eyes locked on Hayner.

They both smiled at each other, "Wow, Selphie... you've changed over the summer." Hayner complicated her and the brunette giggled, "You too."

They sat there flirting (_right in front of me!_) until the bell rang and I pushed Hayner off towards his class. We entered the locker rooms and chose our lockers for the semester.

"I hope we're not doing anything_ too_ strenuous today. I hate sweating before lunch." Selphie groaned and opened her gym bag, emptying the contents in to her new locker.

I nodded and started changing.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Selphie asked as she stepped in front of the mirror, running a hand through her hair.

I shrugged, "Never really have much to say."

Selphie set her hands on her hips, "You know... you remind me of someone. This girl I once knew."

"You once knew?" I asked over my shoulder, "You guys not friends anymore?"

Selphie's eyes widened and she clamped her mouth shut.

"Something wrong?" I stood up straight.

She shook her head, "No... no... I probably shouldn't have said anything. If I would have slipped in front of... man, he would have gone off... forget I said anything." She turned away and dressed quickly.

I stared at her in confusion before I realized I'd be late if I didn't finish changing. We entered the gym in awkward silence and Selphie waved over a boy.

"Hey, Selph! How was first period?" The boy was short and tan with brown hair sticking up everywhere and blue eyes that focused between Selphie and me.

"Fine, fine! Hey, this is..." Selphie turned to me and I cleared my throat, "I'm Olette."

"Sora." He smiled, "You remind me of someone."

Selphie gave an awkward cough and Sora quieted.

What was wrong with these Destiny Island kids?

"So how did a senior manage to get in to a Sophomore/Freshman gym class?" The other girl quickly changed the subject.

"It's the only way they could get my schedule to work."

"You're a _senior_?" I asked before I could stop myself.

His cheeks reddened with embarrassment and he shuffled his feet, "Yes! Just because I'm small and weak looking doesn't mean-..."

"Oh no no no!" I waved my hands, "You're anything but weak looking... you're just a little... short. I didn't mean anything by it."

He rolled his eyes, "Does everyone have to remind me of my height? Doesn't help that I saw Roxas the other night and he seemed to have shot up a good foot."

"You saw Roxas?" Selphie's face went serious, "How is he? Is he coming back to school? I haven't seen him all summer!"

Sora sighed, "He looks the same as he has for the past year. Cloud said him and Aerith left for the summer or something, that's why no one's seen him. He also told me this morning that Rox will be back to school in his usual three months though."

Selphie frowned, "I worry about him. Him _and_ Cloud. They both just _left_ the island... why would they want to?"

"Selphie, not everyone enjoys living on that prison."

The rest of gym class went by in a blur and I managed not to sweat before lunch. Sora was probably the nicest kid I've ever met and I think Selphie just likes to flirt with EVERYONE.

"So which lunch do you have?" Sora asked me as we waited for the bell to ring. He had just showered yet his hair looked like it hadn't moved an inch.

"Uh... first." There were too many kids in the high school so there were three separate lunches. Your lunch time depended on your third period class and who taught it.

"Maybe you could sit with me and my friends today? Unless you have somewhere else to be?" He smiled.

My heart skipped a beat. Those words were probably the best I'd heard all day. Both Hayner and Pence had third lunch today and I probably would have had to eat by myself.

"Sure!" I smiled back.

The bell rang and he ushered me down the hall, "You have to get to lunch right away, or everything good is taken."

"I see." I laughed and jogged to keep up with him.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	3. The Transition

**Hey, finally a new chapter. Still no Roxas/Axel yet... but it's coming, I promise. You just have to be patient. I want to write it just as much as you want to read it. And I'm still rushing through the other chapters to get there, so I should probably get a little more patient myself.**

* * *

_Chapter 2_

_The Transition_

_-"So here we are, back to the start again."_

I followed Sora to an empty table. He cursed as his milk dropped in to his lap and I sustained my giggle as I sat across from him. We were the first to be seated and the lunchroom was still quiet. Selphie broke the silence a few seconds later as she pushed through the doors, her face pulsing red in anger. I watched her shove her way up the line and several freshmen protested. She left them with a heavy glare and grabbed her food.

Sora shrank in his seat and grumbled.

"Huh?" I turned back to him.

"Selphie's pissed about something. Prepare for a very loud and attention-worthy tirade." He whispered quickly.

"Seriously! SERIOUSLY!" Selphie threw her tray on to the table, emitting a loud clapping noise, and several kids in line watched us.

"What's wrong Selph-" Sora winced.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?" Her face turned a little darker and she scoffed, "Kairi is what's wrong!"

"Kairi?" Sora's face twisted in confusion, "What did Kairi do?"

"EVERYTHING!" She finally sat in her spot, "She told Tidus I like him!"

"But you do like him." Sora cautiously took a bite of his food.

"No, I _liked_ him. I don't anymore! And even when I _did_ like him it was an I-like-you-but-don't-want-you-to-know-because-I-don't-want-to-go-out-I-only-want-to-crush-on-you kind of like. Not a Will-you-go-out-with-me-you-have-a-completely-adorable-butt kind of like, seriously Sora."

"My mistake?" A smile nearly formed on his lips but he shoved it away, "So all this happened in the last thirty seconds since we last saw you?"

"Yeah!" She threw her arms up, "I can't believe Kairi. Do you know how awkward it's going to be tonight at Tifa's? He's not going to say a word to me."

"He's known you since he was born, I highly doubt he'll let something like this get awkward."

"You better be right." She crossed her arms and glared at her tray.

They exchanged a few more words, but I took that time to examine the lunchroom. I had never been in here before and suddenly I noticed how big it really was. It made me wonder how many students we had in the school if they had to send them in shifts from lack of room. I didn't recognize most of the freshmen that I could see either.

"Sora?"

He ran a hand through his brunette hair and kept eating, "Yeah?"

"This school has so many students... they don't _all_ come from the Twilight Middle School, do they?"

He shook his head and eyed Selphie's quesadilla, "Of course not... you going to eat that?"

Selphie rolled her eyes and pushed the tray towards him.

"Well, where are they all from then?"

He smiled as the quesadilla was dropped on to his plate and glanced at me, "Well we get transfer kids too."

"Oh... is that it then?"

He leaned closer to me; "There's also kids from the Traverse Town Middle School, since they don't have a high school of their own. They keep to themselves though."

"Why?" My left eyebrow began to twitch, a habit of mine that happened when I was curious.

"Differences, that's all. Just look around. Traverse Town is such a dark city and the kids reflect it. Twilight Town is such a bright place, can't you see it?"

I looked away from him to the bustling room. Kids I knew from middle school dressed brightly; their shirts had flowers and suns on them, their pants and shorts were a light color, probably to help show off their tan legs. I spotted a group I didn't recognize. Most of them dressed in black, dark blue, and green. Their skin paler, almost white compared to mine. Even their hair was visibly darker. They weren't quite Goth, but only a step or two away; every single one of them.

Sora licked his fingers; "The towns don't really associate with each other much, only when they have to at school. Me and my friends from the Islands are probably the only ones that ever formed a friendship with kids from the Dark City before."

"The Dark City." I whispered the words to myself, thinking.

"That's what they call it sometimes; though, I'm not sure it's all that dark and dreary."

"So you've been there?"

"Not me personally, but Cloud and my brother venture there a lot. They both live together with some older kids from Traverse Town, right on the border of the two cities."

"The place still sounds creepy." Then another thought hit me, "You have a brother?"

Sora's face shifted, a cross between sad and hopeful, "Yeah, his name is Roxas and he's my twin."

"Roxas? The guy you and Selphie were talking about in gym? The guy she said she was worried for, along with Cloud, right? He's your twin, yet he doesn't live with you?"

Sora smiled, "One question at a time, Olette. Yeah, she worries for them because they moved off the island. That's something she'd never do." His face reached an unreadable stance, "But we're not all like that. Some of us plan to also leave some day... maybe never come back. Roxas and Cloud just beat us to the punch."

I listened to him as I watched the replica train of Twilight Town run on its tracks above us, "Why would you want to leave such a pretty place?"

"It's more my parents that I want to leave behind, actually." He sighed glancing at the clock, "They don't approve of much. And once when we were twelve, Roxas ran away. He made it all the way to the third district in Traverse Town, and that's how he met-"

The bell rang and he quickly jumped up, "So anyway, what are you doing tonight?"

His suddenness stunned me, "Uh... nothing, I think."

"Want to come with us to Tifa's and get smoothies? We always go there on Friday nights."

"Tifa's?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's a restaurant-slash-bar that a girl we know owns. She let's us in." We dumped our trays and gathered with the rest of the crowd at the doorway.

"Sure, I'm in."

"Maybe you'll get to meet my brother tonight, if he's there."

I shrugged, "That'd be cool."

X.

The rest of the day sped by, and I smiled as I walked to my locker. Freshman year wasn't turning out to be so bad. The boys were cuter than I had predicted, the girls were nice, and I had made new friends. What more could a freshman girl ask for?

"Olette." Sora was waiting by my locker, Riku next to him.

I waved to Pence, six lockers down and quickly opened my locker to throw my books in. I snatched my book bag off its hook and looked down the hall for Hayner.

"Waiting for someone?" Sora followed my gaze.

"Yeah... I thought Hayner would show up but I guess he's busy."

I tucked my cell phone in to my pocket in case Hayner called later and we began our walk to this "Tifa's".

"So where is this place?" I asked as they slowed for me to catch up.

Sora glanced over his shoulder, "It's a mile or two, close to the border of Traverse Town."

"We're walking?" I glanced down at my flip flops."

Riku laughed, "Of course not. They didn't put trains in this town for nothing."

We boarded the train in a fit of giggles. Riku had spent the past ten minutes reliving one of his and Sora's childhood memories aloud. They constantly challenged each other with 'Do you remember...' and 'What about that one time..." Pangs of jealousy rose in me as I realized how much I wished I were them.

I had grown up in a separate, large city called Hollow Bastion. The place scared me beyond all reason when I was little and my dad moved us out of there for 'our own protection' he says. That's when we moved to Twilight Town, completely opposite of the forever-gloomy Hollow Bastion. That was my life story to its fullest. I couldn't remember much else from the Castle I lived in, or the garden I played in.

The train ride was only fifteen minutes or so and we almost missed our stop as we joked around and told more stories.

"So where is everyone else that you guys hang out with?" I asked as we jumped down the steps and stepped on to the cobblestone road.

"They're probably already there and waiting. They all left right after school and caught the 3:20 train." Riku explained while he led the way.

Sora nodded his agreement as we slowly squeezed through an especially small gap between two buildings.

"Where are we?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

Sora pointed to a small building across the road, "That's Tifa's; settle down Olette, we're not going to rape you." They both chuckled and I followed them across the road. "It's just easier to cut between places, rather than walk around."

"Makes sense." I shrugged.

Riku was the first to reach the bar. He eased open the door and I smiled when I read a sign on the door saying "Yuffie, do not enter unless your ninja ass has my money! I'm serious!"

The air conditioner blasted in our faces and I finally realized how hot it really was outside. I also finally noticed that sweat was sticking my bangs to my forehead and dampening my back. I slid the back of my hand across my face and sighed.

Laughter was heard from behind a second doorway and Riku kicked the last door open, bursting through with a grin on his face.

Everyone's heads snapped up and cheers erupted, "Hey! They finally made it!"

Several stood up and clapped the boys on the back. I swallowed nervously and counted eight heads. Sora never mentioned this many people being here.

"Olette!" Selphie squealed and stood up. I granted her a smile and she grabbed my arm.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Olette Payden. She's still just a wee little freshman... so don't be too mean!" The table erupted in laughter and my face reddened a little, but none-the-less, I smiled.

Selphie took the liberty of introducing the others to me. I stood by her side as she pointed to each person one by one, "The first one here in front of you is Wakka; the blond is Tidus; the girl is Kairi and the brunette next to her is Aerith. I can't see who's next to her-, oh duh, it's Sora, never mind... ummm... well Yuffie is over at the bar and that's Tifa that she's arguing with. Squall should be here somewhere, and Cloud will be here later." She brought a finger to her chin, "I think that's everyone."

A chair was pulled up for me next to the Wakka kid and he smiled politely at me. The girl named Kairi stared openly at me from across the table and I coughed under her gaze.

"So?" The blond kid leaned forward, "You live here in Twilight Town?"

"Uh... yep." I smiled awkwardly and Riku seated himself between Sora and Aerith, "Olette's never been on this side of town before."

The brunette, Aerith was her name?, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Well, to be fair, she hasn't lived here all that long."

"How did you know that?" My eyebrow twitched again.

Tidus rolled his eyes, "Aerith knows everything about everyone."

Kairi suddenly sat up, "Where were you from?"

"I lived in a city called Hollow Bastion."

Everyone's eyebrows raised and Kairi gave a satisfied smile, "I knew you looked familiar. You lived in the castle right? Third floor?"

"Yeah... I did. How'd you know?" My confused frown pulled at my cheeks.

"I lived there once too. We moved when I was only seven though. You and I used to play hide-and-seek in the garden, remember?" She placed her hands on the table and twirled her smoothie.

I was a little confused, the girl looked familiar, and I remembered playing with another little girl a couple times before, but Kairi's name didn't sound familiar, "Were you called Kairi back then?"

She laughed, "Yeah, but you always called me Carrie. You never could get it right."

"Oh... sorry."

She shrugged, "I won't hold a grudge."

"So do all of you guys live on the islands?" I changed the topic.

They shook their head in unison and Aerith put a hand to her chest, "I was born and raised in Traverse Town. Along with Yuffie and Squall. No one's really sure where Tifa's from. All the others are from Destiny Islands."

"So how do you guys know each-"

"You know, you look really familiar." Wakka cut me off.

"Wakka!" Kairi scolded, "She was in the middle of talking."

He shrugged, "Sorry, but she does. Just look at her."

Their eyes locked on to me.

"I told you!" Selphie stuck her tongue out at Riku, like the mature sophomore she was.

"When she smiles..." Kairi sighed, her face becoming pained, "That's when they look alike." The others silently agreed. Who the hell did I look so much like?

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	4. Breathe Today

**Hey, here's another one. I got this done pretty quickly, and I got the next two done too. But they still need some heavy revision, so I need to take care of that. I think I might bring the rating down from M to a T, since nothing bad or explicit is going on right now, besides a few bad words here and there, but I don't know yet. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the title of this story. But I do wish I owned Olette, as she is a fun character to write. And come on... who doesn't wish to own Axel?**

**Warning: Might be a few swear words.**

* * *

Chapter 3

**Breathe Today**

_Only one thing_

_Big enough to fill the void that's inside of you_

_It's just a breath away_

_You can breathe today_

Tifa broke the stare-fest accidentally as she approached the table, "Erm... does anyone else want something?"

Everybody's focus on my face snapped away and they mumbled their apologies. Riku cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to Tifa, "Yeah, I'll just take a strawberry and banana smoothie, thanks."

She turned to Sora who nodded, "I'll have the same."

"And what would you like?" She grinned politely.

I shrugged, "You have mango?" She nodded and turned to leave.

"So Aerith... give us the dirt. Where did you and Roxas leave to?" Selphie scooted closer to the other brunette and leaned on the table.

Aerith shifted and thought for a moment. She was very poised, with her back perfectly straight and her hands in her lap, "It's not important."

"Oh, come on!" Selphie pleaded.

Kairi sighed, "Selph, just leave her alone."

Selphie glared at the redhead and crossed her arms.

A bell jingled and we turned to see more customers enter the bar. A man walked arm in arm with a lady and tipped his head to us. In return we smiled and nodded. The bell jingled a second time and several guys stepped in. The one in front waved a hand in his face and called out, "Wow, Tifa. Thank god you keep it nice and cool in here. It's burning up out there."

Tifa appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron, "Nice to see you too, Dante."

The men chuckled and seated themselves at a round table in the far corner.

"I reckon we only have a good half hour or so before Tifa kicks us out." Tidus announced. The rest agreed and watched Tifa approach with some more smoothies.

She set them down on the table and sighed, "You guys know you're going to have to get out of here soon, right?"

"We know." Kairi answered and pushed my mango drink across the table to me. Tifa winked and headed for the couple sitting at the bar.

The next fifteen minutes were spent in silence and Sora sighed, "I guess Cloud's not coming?"

Nobody answered him and I finished the last of my smoothie. The bar was slowly starting to fill up and Tifa gave us a warning look.

"Come on, let's get out of her way." Kairi suggested and we all stood up. We each threw our own garbage away and Wakka wiped the table for their older friend.

Aerith tucked her hair behind her ear again and turned away from us, "I think I'm going to stay and help Tifa tonight. You guys promise to stay out of trouble?"

Riku smiled, "We promise."

"Good." Yuffie suddenly appeared, "We don't want to hear Leon's phone ringing in the middle of the night again, with one of you asking for help."

Riku suddenly became very interested in his shoes and grumbled something that sounded like, "Yeah, yeah..."

Tidus led us outside, back in to the heat, and we stood in a circle.

"So what now?" Selphie looked hopeful.

"It's getting dark." Riku pointed out, "We should probably get out of this side of town."

Twilight Town was bathing us in one of its usual sunsets and I could tell night was only an hour or so away.

X.

'Usual Spot?' I read the text out loud and clamped my phone shut.

"Who's that from?" Kairi asked curiously and I glanced up, "My friends."

"You want me to walk you?" Riku asked and the others nodded, "You better."

My eyebrow rose confidently, "I'm sure I'll be okay. I've walked around Twilight Town millions of times; especially this area. I know it like the back of my hand."

We were standing in front of the station. A place I well knew. The trains ran 24/7 and the familiar noise was actually pretty comforting to me.

"Still." Riku insisted, "You never know. I think me and Sora should walk with you."

I tried to reason with him but he shook his head, "No, it's final. We're coming with."

I sighed, more than a little frustrated, "Fine."

"We'll catch you guys later then?" Kairi asked as she followed the others down the road, opposite of the direction we were about to head.

"Yeah." Riku called.

"We'll probably be on the docks!" Kairi yelled before disappearing down the hill.

I started the walk toward my friend's hangout and the boys followed silently.

The sky was becoming a deep blue and the stars were making their bright appearance. Despite the dark, the air was still hot. Usually the breeze from the ocean made it cooler, but it was a still night. I pulled my hair off the back of my neck to cool it and shut my eyes. I could probably walk home with my eyes closed, I knew the terrain so well. The foolishness of the boy's protection made me embarrassed. Did they think that I couldn't defend myself since I was a girl? Most likely.

"Honestly boys." I began as we made it to the bottom of the street, "I'm fine, really."

Riku shook his head, "You never know."

I rolled my eyes and we halted in front of my stop.

"This it?" Riku asked and analyzed the entrance.

"Yes, this is it. I'm perfectly safe here."

Sora joined in on Riku's examination and they slowly approached the old sheet we used for a door.

The sheet was ripped out of the way and the boys jumped back and in front of me. Pence peeked out and laughed,"I thought I heard your voice, Olette. Oh... hi."

He curiously looked the boys over and gave me a questioning glance. I stepped around Riku and Sora, "This is my friend Pence, guys."

Hayner's tan face loomed over Pence's shoulder, "Is Olette here yet?"

"Yep, it's me." I replied and as he stepped in to the streetlight's glow, I realized it was completely black out; night had completely settled in.

"You." Hayner's face scrunched in distaste and he glared at Sora.

"What about me?" Sora asked, all innocence.

The blond bravely took a few steps closer and his hands clenched in to fists, "You have a lot of nerve showing your face here again."

"What are you talking about?" Sora glanced from Hayner to the buildings around him.

Riku growled, "What's your deal? Sora's never been around here before."

Hayner scoffed, "You were here the other night, asshole. I'd recognize your face anywhere."

Sora looked plain confused.

"Sora's that kid from the other night?" I asked.

A boy had picked a fight with Hayner a couple days ago and they had a Struggle Match to settle things. Hayner had won, but the other boy had definitely done the most damage. Hayner limped for days. I only stayed to watch a short portion of the fight, but I never caught who the other boy was.

Riku took a step forward and the two boys sized each other up, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Sora doesn't even like fighting."

Hayner snorted, "He sure did the other night."

"Are you sure it was me?" Sora asked, still confused.

"Well unless there's a copy of you running around, yes, I'm sure." Hayner spat.

Riku straightened, "A copy of Sora?" He glanced back at the shorter boy, who shrugged, puzzled.

"Like a twin?" Riku suggested.

Hayner glanced between the two boys, "I guess."

Sora's eyes lit up, "Roxas! I saw him the other day too. Man, he looks like he got tall."

Riku grinned at my friend, "Sorry kid, but you have the wrong brother."

Hayner glared, "Is this some kind of joke?"

Sora shook his head, "Wasn't his hair a little lighter? Blond, maybe?"

Hayner's eyes landed on Sora's brunette hair, "I'm not sure, didn't really pay attention."

Pence swallowed, "I saw it! It was definitely lighter." I wasn't sure if he was serious or if he was trying to avoid a brawl.

Hayner stayed tense a few moments longer. I put a hand to his arm and he backed up a step and sighed, "If you say so. Just make sure you're brother knows that he's not welcome here if he is going to start things. First he challenged me to a Struggle Match, and then he just completely ignored the rules. Didn't even try to win, just tried to beat me to a pulp. Seifer actually stepped in and stopped things. That's unusual."

"Seifer lives around here?" Riku's face wrinkled with repulsion, "Where is he now?"

"Nearby, I'm sure." Hayner scanned the dark road.

Riku grunted, "I should let Leon know. We thought Seifer was long gone."

"What? Seifer's been here forever." Hayner informed him.

Riku shook his head, "Nah, he used to live in Traverse Town by Leon. I bet you just _thought_ he lived down here. Are you sure he does now?"

"Of course." Hayner put his hands on his hips, "Maybe he moved in with one of his friends or something because I know I've seen him leave and enter the same building millions of times."

"I wonder what Roxas was doing all the way down here." Sora abruptly asked aloud.

Riku placed a hand on his shoulder, "Maybe he'll be back."

"He's probably with Cloud right now." Sora theorized, ignoring his friend.

Silence pierced the night and I shifted from foot to foot awkwardly.

"We should probably head back." Riku suggested quietly.

We said our goodbyes quickly, ending with 'I'll see you on Monday!' and I waved them off before following Hayner inside our Usual Spot.

Hayner sat on his makeshift chair and whistled, "Ha... I almost started a fight with Riku Jou. That's crazy."

Pence snickered, "As if you would have won."

Hayner was on his feet, "I could have!"

Pence snorted, "Doubtful."

Before I could register the situation, Hayner flew across the room and tackled the other boy to the floor. I laughed as Pence squealed, "Stop stop! That _tickles_!"

Hayner smiled, "What do you say?"

"UNCLE! UNCLE!"

Hayner stood up, satisfied, and brushed off his shorts, "So Olette... are you friends with those guys now?"

I sat in his chair, "I guess."

"You know... this is probably going to make you the most popular freshman in school."

"I doubt that."

X.

I made it back to my house by midnight and nearly collapsed on my bed. I woke up at four in the morning from the sound of my cell phone going off and answered with a frown, "Yes?"

"You're not up yet?"

Hayner.

"Nah, school wore me out." I rolled onto my back.

"Well shower and get ready, Pence is already at the Usual Spot, waiting."

"Mmhmm." I sighed and closed my phone. For a minute, I stayed still and didn't move. My cell phone vibrated once and I opened it to reveal a new text message,

'i kno ur stil layin there so get up!'

I chuckled softly and climbed out of bed. I took a short shower and towel dried my hair. I pulled an orange top and tan capri's out of my closet and quickly got dressed. The window was already screenless so I pushed it up and climbed out. My parents didn't care if they woke up and I wasn't there, they already knew where I had gone. But if they woke up and saw me leaving, then they got mad. It was a weird system, so I usually went _out_ the window and came _in_ the window to avoid a confrontation.

It was still completely dark out, yet the heat was already settling in. I rubbed my still tired eyes and broke out in a run across our yard and street. I only lived about half a mile from our Usual Spot, so it only took me a few minutes to get there.

Hayner was on his skateboard, riding back and forth in front of our hangout. I could see Pence's outline against the wall where he was leaning.

"Hey guys." I smiled.

"Finally." Hayner over exaggerated the 'ly' and jumped off his skateboard, "I thought we were going to miss the 4:45 train. Come on!"

We ran up the curving road and in to the station. We passed right through the gates and waved to the cashier. Town lines were completely free, so we never worried about the money. The doors were about to close and we nearly lost Pence as we slid through.

"Wow... we barely... made it." Pence bent over to catch his breath. The cabin was completely empty, since no one in their right mind was up at 4:45 in the morning, well, besides us.

Twilight Town was actually a small peninsula. If you located it on a map, you'd find Traverse Town above it, directly north. Below it, directly south, was a bridge that connected us to Destiny Islands. Then on the east side was our hangout and the very edge of the west side was where Sunset Hill was located (our destination). My house was right on the shore line in the Southeast region. Hayner and Pence lived further inland, near the sandlot.

I'm not sure how many miles it was from the east side to the west side, but by train, it only took about a half hour to travel it. We lay across the seats and slept like we did every morning. The sounder beeped and we groggily opened our eyes. The sun was nearly up and we helped each other off the train. For an instant we stood there and stretched.

We climbed Sunset Hill in a daze and lay in the dirt at the top. Everyone knows Twilight Town isn't called what it is for nothing. Neither was Sunset Hill. Twilight Town had the most beautiful sunsets of any place in the _world_. We had tourists during every season of the year. In the summer the city was flocked with tourists taking pictures and sitting on the beaches. In the winter, people dressed warmer and watched the sunset from the small mountains. Autumn was used for the tint each sunset gave the changing leaves and spring was probably when we had the least amount of tourists. But what people didn't know, both tourists and residents, was that Twilight Town's sunrise was even better. And Sunset Hill was the best place we could find to watch it. Every morning, every season, we did this. Heads together, laying on our backs, we talked about anything and everything. It was the perfect way to start a day.

I think at one point we fell asleep because I woke up to a fully risen sun and a burnt nose. I sat up stiffly and looked around me. Pence was lying comfortably on his side and Hayner was using my leg for a pillow. His ears were turning a rather dark shade of red.

I tapped his shoulder, "Hayner!"

He grumbled and rolled away from me, "Hayner!"

He opened an eye carefully and glanced around, "What the hell?"

"We must have fallen asleep." I yawned. Pence slowly sat up and turned to us, "What time is it?"

I checked my watch, "11:37."

"Jeez, I need to pee." Hayner stretched his stiff legs.

"Can't you wait?" Pence argued, but Hayner shook his head, "No one comes up here anyway, just turn away."

We rolled our eyes and stood up. He was right though; nobody ever came up here in the daytime. They all waited until late afternoon.

We waited for our friend at the bottom of the hill. I could feel my burnt nose and cheeks stinging, but I knew it'd turn tan in a few days anyway.

"How about some food?" Hayner suggested as he reached us. We silently agreed and began our walk back to the train station.

There was actually a small diner inside the Trans Station back on the east side and we decided that was as good a place as any to eat. The diner was nearly full and we spotted a table in the far corner. A man rushed to us and asked for our order. All three of us ordered pancakes and soda; our usual.

"That's him!" Hayner suddenly slammed his fist on to the table and I jumped. We twisted in our seats to see what he was yelling about. An exact blond-headed copy of Sora was sitting at a nearby table with the senior I recognized as Cloud from my first period class.

"He's the one who picked the fight! I thought I told you not to come back?" Hayner growled.

Both blondes looked in our direction and the shorter one shrugged, "The station is free territory."

Hayner glared at the truth of that statement and didn't look away. Cloud, the taller blonde, watched the confrontation with confusion, but decided to stay out.

"Did you want to fight again? I've been itching for one anyway." Sora's brother asked casually.

Hayner's nostrils flared a little, "Hell yes! Let's do it!"

I narrowed my eyes, "Hayner! Seriously, you don't need to be fighting."

Hayner rolled his eyes, "Women don't get it." He muttered and sat back.

Roxas switched his gaze to me and studied me. I could barely look back at him seriously. When I did, all I could see was Sora. A very blonde Sora. I half expected Riku to trudge over and pat the boy on the head.

The two boys argued non-stop for at least a good twenty minutes, then agreed that as soon as we were done eating they'd head to the sandlot.

"That stupid ass isn't going to be there again, is he?" Roxas spat.

Hayner raised his eyebrow, "Who? Seifer?"

"Yeah, _him_." Roxas suddenly grinned, "Well... if he is there, I should call Squall. He'd have a few choice words for him."

Cloud chuckled along with him.

"Well, what if things get really bad? Someone has to split us up." Hayner reminded him, "I doubt either of us wants to go to jail for murder."

"I'm not doing it." Cloud quickly threw in.

Roxas shrugged, "No matter, she can do it." He gestured to me and spooned more eggs into his mouth.

"What!" Hayner sat up, "She can't fight with much more than a dagger. She'll get hurt."

"Doesn't matter." Roxas looked annoyed, "If a girl threw herself between us, I wouldn't touch her. Beating up women isn't really my game."

Hayner bit his lip and looked to me.

"I guess." I rolled my eyes

"It's settled then." Roxas turned away from us.

The waiter brought us our food and we ate in a hurry.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	5. With a Little Help from my Friends

**Chapter 4, finally. Show Choir season is finally over, but soccer is beginning. So, hopefully I'm not too busy. No promises though.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Not even the chapter title.**

**Warnings: Some cussing I believe.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**With a Little Help From my Friends**

_How do I feel by the end of the day?_

_Are you sad because you're on your own?_

_No, I get by with a little help from my friends_

_I'm gunna try with a little help from my friends..._

The Sandlot was hot. _Unbearably_ hot. I stood in the shade, hardly daring to move. I figured if I even shifted I would break out in a sweat. Still, despite the heat, the two boys were clashing without a care. I was becoming very bored, just watching. Pence had gone home to finish his homework (I'm so proud of him!) and Cloud hadn't even given an explanation as he sauntered off.

I heard an earsplitting scream as Hayner's head collided with the ground and I jerked forward. I had been told to come between them if it got too messy, yet they had never explained what 'too messy' was. At the moment Roxas had him pinned and didn't look like he was going to get off any time soon. I took a step forward, into the blistering sun, and took a closer look. Hayner gave a war cry as he kicked the other boy off him.

I backed in to my safe shady area and sighed. Boys and their stupid fights.

Another cry and I shot out of my coven. Hayner growled and twisted the boy's arm behind his back. Roxas grunted and slapped Hayner on the side with his struggle bat. Both boys stumbled to the ground, legs flailing.

Honestly, this is getting ridiculous.

I ran across the burning, sandy pit and tried to pull Roxas off my friend. He whipped around, surprised, and punched me in the face. I yelped and fell to my butt.

"Shit!" Both blonds cursed. Hayner scrambled to my side and shoved the other away, "You idiot, look what you did!"

Roxas glared, "I'm sorry! She scared me!"

I held a warm hand to my jaw and glared at both of them, "Will you both shut up? My god!"

They closed their mouths and waited for me to say more. Hayner reached to touch my wound but I slapped his hand away.

"This is your fault!" Hayner jumped to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at the other. Roxas glared and jumped up too, "Wanna go a third time?"

"Let's do it!"

Roxas held up a finger, "On one condition."

Hayner narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"I get her." The blond gestured to me and my eyes widened.

"What! No fucking way!" Hayner stepped in front of me, "You're sick!"

"Oh please!" Roxas rolled his eyes, "I don't want her for sex! Jesus, I just want her company." He smiled.

Hayner gave him a stupid look, "You want... her company? What the hell?"

Roxas shrugged innocently, "That's what I said."

"Why?" Hayner shifted.

"Dunno... looks like she'd be a good listener."

They both turned to look at me.

"She's not an object and she's not for grabs." Hayner snarled.

Roxas thought for a moment, "You win and I'll leave this part of town for good. I win and I get her."

Hayner went silent and I looked desperately between the two, "Hayner... you can't be serious."

He ignored me and bit his lip, "Deal."

"No! There is no deal!" I shouted.

Hayner ignored me again and crouched in to his battle stance, "Come on then, let's go!"

Roxas gave me one last look and the two clashed together again. I huffed with anger and stalked back in to the shade. My jaw was tender and I was pretty sure I had also bitten my tongue. Whether or not Hayner lost, we were through. I was not his bargaining object. He'll be lucky if I ever grace him with my presence again. Stupid, insensitive asshole.

I paced in my cool area, working up a sweat. My mind was wandering over the many creative ways I could kill the stupid jerk when I heard a certain blond-headed and brown-eyed idiot hit the ground a third time.

"Games up." Roxas stood over him with a cocky grin. The losing boy scowled from the dirt.

The new kid stepped away from his opponent and walked past me. I didn't follow. He stopped and turned, "Let's go."

I brought my hands to my hips, "Why should I?"

He gave me a dumb look, "I won."

"I never agreed to this."

"Your point?"

My glare was ineffective and I didn't even look back at Hayner as I followed the stranger up the hill.

"If we hurry we can make the 2:00 train." He checked his watch and picked up his board, "Can you skate?"

"2:00 train to where?" I crossed my arms.

"My house. Now, can you skate?"

"Yes, I can skate."

"Good, because I know I left another board around here somewhere the other night." His talk was muffled as he dug behind some crates.

"Here." He dropped the board at my feet and I set my foot on it. As we made our way to the familiar station in silence, I watched the back of his blond head. Where were we going? The train was boarded in silence and I watched out the windows calmly.

Sitting on the train for nearly a half hour, I became nervous "Where do you live?"

"Near Traverse Town." He didn't even look at me.

I sighed in frustration and waited for our stop.

Roxas' neighborhood consisted of blocks of apartments and warehouses. I had never been this far north; in fact, Tifa's was the farthest north I had ever been. You could barely see the bright sun from where we stood and I figured it was the same for the sunset. When I looked to the north, I saw the tall gates to Traverse Town loom above us, near the mountains. We were no further then maybe half a mile from the other city.

"How can you live here?" I asked, appalled.

"Huh?" He flipped his board in to his arms and began walking towards an apartment building; "I've seen enough sun for a lifetime."

"Yet you spend so much time near the shore?" I prodded.

He snorted, "Just to cause trouble and eat."

"I see." Even though I didn't see at all.

I followed him up wooden steps to an apartment door labeled 727. He opened the unlocked door and I entered after him, preparing for the worst. I nearly gasped as I looked around. The place was nice... and _spotless._ It looked like a rich, fancy home smashed to the size of an apartment!

Roxas started up the steps and in to a bright hallway, "Squall's work."

I slowly trailed behind, still mesmerized, but confused. What was a squall? The steps were flourished with white carpet. Stainless, fluffy, clean, white carpet. I had all wood flooring in my house and all I wanted to do was stretch out across the soft floor.

Roxas peeked his head out of a door, "Jesus, it's just carpet."

I remembered I was mad at the boy I met only hours ago and sneered, "Whatever."

A door opened to my right and Cloud stepped out. He looked from Roxas to me and turned back in to the room. A second later he was joined by a bigger brunette. He eyed me suspiciously and looked to Roxas, "What's going on?"

Roxas gave the brunette a determined smile, "I won her. Beat some little sophomore at a struggle match to get her."

"Is he going to rape me?" I gave the man I had never met a pathetic look. Cloud snorted and turned back to their room. The brunette watched him go and looked back at me "Doubtful." My eyes fixed themselves on a long scar crossing the man's face.

The front door opened, we all glanced down the steps. Aerith and Yuffie stepped through. Yuffie kicked off her shoes and hollered, "SQUALL!"

The brunette's eye twitched and he cursed, "Must you yell?"

So that's the Squall that Roxas mentioned.

"Oh! There you are- uh... hello?"Yuffie didn't notice me until halfway up the stairs, "Hey Olette... what are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure." I shrugged. She eyed me curiously and waved it off, "Oh well, the more the merrier! Squall..."

"It's Leon."

"Whatever."

The brunette rolled his eyes and Yuffie peeked in to his room, "Where's Cloud? I know he's hiding in there somewhere."

Aerith softly padded up the stairs, her pink ribbon bouncing with the movement, "Hello Olette."

I smiled and waved.

Everyone stood in an awkward silence and Yuffie coughed, "Well I was just still wondering if we're on for tonight? Food at Tifa's?"

Leon... or Squall... or whatever his name was, nodded and turned away, "Of course... now leave, I want a nap."

Yuffie giggled, "Nap... right."

The door slammed shut and Yuffie continued to giggle, "Well, kiddies! I'll be watching T.V. if you guys need me."

Aerith waved good-bye and they both skipped down the steps. Roxas motioned for me to enter his room and I slowly made my way down the hall. The big brunette had told me he wouldn't rape me, right? Even if I was in danger, Yuffie and Aerith were right downstairs. I could hardly see Aerith allowing me to be violated a floor above her. With renewed confidence I firmly stepped in to the boy's room.

I settled on my burning question, "Why am I here?"

He briefly glances at me as he opens the air conditioner vent, "I already told you that."

"You wanted company? I'm sure if you scampered down stairs, Yuffie'd give you plenty." I reminded him.

He gave me a genuine smile, "I wanted _sane_ company."

"The boys?"

He laughed, "They don't talk much. Well, unless they're fighting."

"Do the girls live here?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "They live across the hall. Not that you can tell."

We shifted in silence and I scanned his room for anything of interest as he turned on his T.V.

A red locker caught my attention, "Where'd you get this?"

His attention was focused completely on his video game, but he managed to look up quickly, "Oh that... a friend stole it."

"Oh." I replied awkwardly. How does someone run off with a locker?

I opened the metal door and looked inside. There were scattered folders across the bottom and I reached down. It was purple with butterflies on it. I nearly giggled at the feminism of it and sat on the floor. I opened it slowly and checked through the contents inside. It was completely filled with drawings. Really, really good drawings.

The drawings were mainly of Roxas and various parts of Twilight Town. I wondered who drew them. There was a signature in the bottom left corner, but it was unreadable.

"Who drew these?" I asked aloud.

Roxas paused his game and looked over my shoulder, "Those? Just a friend."

"Do I know them? Do they hang with Sora?"

Roxas' controller almost dropped to the floor, "Sora?" He swallowed nervously, "You know Sora?"

"Yeah, sure. He's a cool kid." I commented, absentmindedly.

Roxas opened his mouth several times, "H-how... how is he?"

My eyebrow twitched repeatedly and I shrugged, "Good, I suppose. He seemed fine. Do you guys not talk much or something? He sounded like he missed you."

Roxas smiled softly, "He misses me?"

"Seems so." I offered.

He sat on his bed with a blank look, "God I miss him too... but you said he's doing alright? Riku's treating him fine and everything?"

"Riku?" I asked, "Yeah sure. They were getting along fine."

"He talk about home any? My parents?"

I thought for a moment, "He wants to leave the island and his parents behind some day."

Roxas nodded his head, "Good thinking, Sora."

X.

I sat up quickly.

I must of fallen asleep somewhere along the way. I whimpered pathetically as my bruised jaw throbbed. Roxas was sleeping soundly on his stomach and I was a little confused as to what I should do. I wasn't real eager to find my own way home and I didn't want to wake the blonde up. I could ask one of the older kids to walk me, but then I'd feel like a nuisance. Maybe I should just stay over.

A muffled voice came from behind me and I turned around, "Huh?"

Roxas licked his dry lips, eyes still closed, "I said... you want me to take you home?" The boy looked like he was in no condition to move. I shook my head, "Nah, I'll find my way."

"Take Leon with you." He told me.

"Okay." I muttered and opened the door.

"Olette?"

I stopped again, "Yes?"

"Come over again tomorrow?"

"Uh... sure." I shrugged and left the room. The apartment was dark, except for the glow of the T.V. downstairs. I felt my way along the wall until I found the steps. I went down them slowly, not wanting to trip.

When I reached the landing I saw Leon sitting on the couch. He looked wide awake, but a sleeping Cloud was using him for a pillow.

"You leaving?" The brunette asked me quietly.

I nodded and he slowly moved the blond off him, "I'll take you."

"'Kay." I whispered, tired, as the blond mumbled in his sleep.

I gave the older man directions to my house and we walked briskly. The heat spell seemed to have broken and I was a little chilled. I wasn't even sure of the time until we got to the train station. The clock read 2:15. Just great. I wouldn't be surprised if I came home to find my mum sitting in my room.

The two of us made small talk on the ride back south. He asked me how I knew Roxas and I gave him the honest answer, "He won me."

Leon shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Won you? That kid needs to learn to stop being so rude. Just running around, making bets with younger students to win their girls. I swear, everyday he gets a little bit more like..."

The brunette licked his lips and turned away.

I tucked my hair behind my ear, not pushing to pursue the matter, "He do this often?"

The older man leaned back, "Nah... not that I know of."

"He told Hayner he wanted me because he thought I'd be a good listener." I informed him.

He paused slightly and pulled a brown bang, "Did he? What'd he tell you so far?"

"Nothing." My eyebrows pulled together, thinking, "He barely said anything all night."

"I see." The brunette sighed and cracked his fingers, "So, you always live in Twilight Town?"

I blinked at the change in subject, "I moved here about a year and a half ago; from Hollow Bastion."

"Hollow Bastion." He murmured. "I've been there."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... not the most charming of places."

"I don't remember much." I shrugged.

It was almost 3:00 before we reached my house. Leon dropped me off in the back yard, by my window.

"Sorry you had to go through this trouble." I mumbled.

He turned to leave, "It's fine. I don't sleep well anyway."

X.

Hayner called me at four and I shut my phone off. Like I would spend my morning sunrise with that moron. I rolled on to my back and fell back asleep.

Several hours later I woke up to another sunny Sunday. I rubbed my eyes, entering the hallway. My parents looked up from their cereal in the kitchen and my father tapped his foot, "So, did you have fun yesterday?"

I nodded and reached for a bowl.

My mum glared at me from her spot, "What did you do?"

"I hung out with Hayner and Pence all morning then I went home with a different friend."

"What friend?" Her mouth pulled thin, curiosity lining her lips

"His name is Roxas." I shrugged.

She sighed and looked back down to her cereal, "Who are his parents?"

I thought quickly, "Dunno their names."

"Well, I don't think I've seen you once since Friday morning. You've spent all that time out of the house and making new friends and you couldn't even manage to catch a name?"

I turned as I sat in my seat. Mum gasped and jumped to her feet, comepletely forgetting her question, "What _happened_?"

"Huh?"

"Look at your jaw!" She nearly cried.

I brought a hand to my cheek and hissed at the pain.

"Oh that? It's just something I picked up yesterday, wrestling with Pence. It's no big deal."

"Wrestling." My mum growled, "You and those boys. Can't you find any girl friends?"

I rolled my eyes, "Give it up, Ma."

Dad stood from the counter, "Well, you're mum and I are going shopping this afternoon. What are you're plans?"

"I'll be at Roxas'." I finished my lucky charms and threw my bowl in to the sink. Taking the steps two at a time, I hurried to take a shower before they could force me to join them.

Around noon I was completely finished with everything (including my homework), and I stepped outside. Roxas never gave me a number to get a hold of him, so I figured he just expected me to show up.

Finding my way through town and getting on the right train was easy enough. I was fine until I actually got to his neighborhood. Which building was he in again?

I stood there unsure of myself. Crap... what now? I was too shy to knock on somebody's door for directions and none of the buildings had lists of residents. Luckily I was saved when a cheerful Yuffie appeared, "Olette! I'm beginning to think you're following me. Oh wow... what happened to you?"

I shrugged, "It's nothing, my friends and I just got a little rough while wrestling."

"I see." She motioned for me to follow, "Come on, let's see what the melancholic triplets are up to. If you see Aerith today, make sure you hide that shiner away. Otherwise she'll go in to physco mother mode." I nodded quickly and rubbed the sore area.

She sang a song I'd never heard before while leading the way down the block. We stopped in front of an apartment with tan siding. I committed the building to memory and followed her up the wooden stairs. She burst through their door without so much as a knock and squealed, "Ah! Boys! That's cute and all, but Olette's a little out of the loop! You'd probably have given her a heart attack if she had been the one to walk in!"

I looked around her and found the two older boys in an almost innocent position. Cloud laying on his back with Leon hovering over him. Both were clad only in shorts and I turned away in embarrassment. Yuffie walked past them in to the kitchen and called to me over her shoulder, "OLETTE, YOU HUNGRY?"

I shouted back with a 'no' and noticed Leon had moved off the blond. He gave me a blank nod, "Roxas is upstairs."

"Thanks." I whispered and ran up the stairs.

Tifa was standing at the end of the hall, talking to Roxas through his door. She saw me coming and waved bye to Sora's brother. We smiled politely as we passed each other and I entered the blonde's room.

"Hey." His bedding was everywhere, but that was nothing compared to his hair. His T.V. was still on and he stretched. Looking at him like this, it was hard to imagine he was senior.

"I'm going to shower." He announced and started grabbing things for the bathroom. I sat on his bed and watched the small T.V., "I'll wait."

He reentered the room soon after, completely clean. He shut his door behind him and threw his clothes in his hamper.

"Can you tell me something?" I moved to the floor.

He raised his eyebrow curiously, "What?"

"Who is it that your brother and all his friends think I look like?"

He stared intently at me for longer than necessary and took a calming breath, "This girl we once knew."

"What happened to her?" I asked.

He sighed and sat on his bed, "It's a long story."

"Then tell me why you live here and not with Sora?"

Roxas gave me a pained look, "That's an even longer story."

"Please tell me." I begged.

He shook his head, "Not today."

I turned away, disappointment sinking deeper through my body.

We decided to play video games and after the boy beat me enough times, I let him play one player. Watching his back, I wondered how crazy I really was. I started off yesterday normal, hanging with my friends, watching the sunrise. Then some boy comes along, challenging my boyfriend to a fight. They battle it out, while I'm left to fry. I get punched in the face, and then my boyfriend sells me off to the same stranger that punched me. I actually followed the blond home, without so much as a fight, and willingly entered his house. I meet two other random guys, Aerith, and Yuffie, who's a _teacher_, and stayed until about two in the morning. Then I let one of the oldest and biggest strangers there walk me home to 'protect me'. And worst of all... I came back the next day._ I came back_! I completely just followed the teacher in and ran up the steps like it was normal, then played video games and questioned the same boy I only met yesterday about his life. Wow, maybe I was dumber than I thought.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	6. Stars

**Chapter 6! Well, technically chapter 5, but whatever! Have fun reading and review if you'd like!**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the plots, not even the chapter titles.**

* * *

Chapter 5

**Stars**

_And those who follow the path of the righteous  
Shall have their reward  
And if they fall  
As Lucifer fell  
The flame  
The sword  
Stars  
In your multitudes  
Scarce to be counted  
Filling the darkness  
With order and light  
You are the sentinels  
Silent and sure  
Keeping watch in the night  
Keeping watch in the night  
You know your place in the sky  
You hold your course and your aim  
And each in your season  
Returns and returns  
And is always the same  
And if you fall as Lucifer fell  
You fall in flame  
And so it has been  
And so it is written  
On the doorway to paradise  
That those who falter and those who fall  
Must pay the price_

Monday came and I groaned as I realized it was only the _second_ day of school.

"Uh... hey?"

I glanced at the boy behind me and doubled back with a glare, "You know... you _really_ have some nerve betting me off Saturday like that!"

Hayner gave a sheepish grin and twirled a toe across the floor, "I'm sorry, I thought I could win."

"Obviously you couldn't."

He rolled his eyes, "I told you, I'm really really sorry. Can I make it up to you? We could go get something to eat later, or see a movie. Come on, you're my girlfriend; you have to forgive me eventually."

He tried to swing an arm across my shoulders but I ducked away, "No, no, no, no, no, nooooo. No touching. We are definitely through."

His face twisted with, was it pain?, and he scratched the back of his head, "Completely through?"

"Completely." I assured him.

He gave me a stupid look.

"Still friends though, right?"

I grunted and shrugged, "I guess."

"Awesome!" Hayner shut my locker for me and we sat in front of it. There was a good half hour yet before first period and the school was still pretty empty.

"So, how _was _going home with the ass?" Hayner stretched his legs across the floor, ankles crossing.

"Not bad, actually. He can be pretty nice. He lives with that senior, Cloud."

Hayner looked at me, "Really? Why doesn't he live at home?"

"No clue."

"Hey guys! I'm glad to see you're getting along!" Pence trudged in to view, his book bag slung over one shoulder.

"Hayner told you, huh?" I asked.

Pence snorted, "Yup, the idiot."

The blond growled, "I said I was sorry! Besides, the two became friends anyway."

Pence pressed his lips thin, his brow creasing with worry, "Sill, Hayn, he could have hurt her. She could have been in a very dangerous position. You just handed her over."

At least one of my friends was still reasonable.

"Olette!" A cheery voice rang through the hall. We all looked up to see Selphie skipping down the hallway, the rest of the Destiny Island kids following.

"What classes do you have today?" She stopped at our feet.

"Uh..." I rummaged through my pockets, looking for my schedule. I pulled a folded piece of paper out and smoothed the crinkles, "I have History, Advanced Algebra, Art, third lunch, and Publishing."

Her nose wrinkled, "Aw, we have no classes together."

Kairi smiled, "Well, we have art together and lunch."

"Good, so at least I know somebody in my lunch." I nodded.

"You're taking _advanced _math?" Riku stuck out his tongue, making gagging motions, "You couldn't pay me to do that."

I rolled my eyes and the bell rang for first period.

X.

"Hayner... _Hayner_... HAYNER!" I reached across the aisle and slapped the boy to attention. He jumped and rubbed his eyes, "Wha?"

The teacher placed her hands on her hips and stomped a foot, "I will not stand for this! You are not going to fall asleep in my class again! Is that clear?"

Hayner nodded groggily and yawned. Several students giggled and the teacher slapped a desk, "Attention!"

The room fell silent and we all watched as the woman marched back up the row of desks.

"Now... as I was saying, the australopithecines were the first to appear on the Earth-"

"Well, actually..." Hayner sat up in his desk, "I don't think they really just 'appeared'. It wasn't just like 'POP!', oh, there's an antroliancastinian."

"Australopithecine." She corrected.

"It matters?" He muttered under his breath.

The teacher ignored him and continued on, "Now, if you turn to page 18, you'll see a picture of the early humans and you'll notice how their heads were shaped differently from ours..."

I sighed and leaned on to one arm. My thoughts wandered to Roxas. I was curious as to what happened to him. Why did he live with Cloud and Leon? Why not with Sora and his own family? Was there something wrong with their parents? Hadn't Sora mentioned that he wanted to get away from his family as well? Maybe his parents were abusive. Or maybe they were just plain strict.

Yet Cloud was an island kid too... and he just _left_? And where did Leon appear in all this?

"Olette?"

"Huh?" I blinked several times.

Hayner nudged me, "The bell rang."

"Oh." I jumped out of my seat and grabbed my stuff. We said good bye at the door and I pushed through the halls.

Algebra was a bore as well. I hate math. Especially advanced math. The kids thought they were just that much better than everyone else. I was nearly in bored tears by the time the bell rang. I ran out of the room like my pants were on fire and made my way to the Art Room.

"Hey Olette."

I stopped when I recognized Kairi's voice and waited for her to catch up.

"You any good at art?" She asked me.

"Nope."

"Good, me neither."

X.

"Wow... you weren't lying when you said you sucked at art, were you?" Kairi giggled from across the table.

I gave her a pathetic glare and gestured to her pile of clay, "Neither were you."

We giggled again and I turned my 'pot' to look at it from another angle, "Jeez, this does suck."

She snorted loudly and several kids turned to watch us. She stuck her tongue out and they turned away quickly.

"So," I tucked a brown lock behind my ear, "Why is it that you and your friends are so popular?"

She shrugged, "Not sure, really. It's weird. Nobody ever talks to us, well, at least me. They talk to all the others though! It's like I have a disease."

"Why?"

She sighed, "I don't know. Supposedly I'm the most popular girl in school. That's what Selphie tells me, anyway. She says that everyone talks about how they wish they were me and how I'm so lucky to have the friends I do."

"Why? Because they're all good lookings boys?"

Her lips turned up in a smile, "That too. But, you see, the thing is... I wasn't born on Destiny Island, as you know. I was born in Hollow Bastion. My grandma convinced my parents to bring me here to Twilight Town when I was four. So we moved down here and as we entered the city, some woman tried to give us her house. My parents were really confused, but the woman insisted; told us we could have everything. Then she just gave us directions and left. That's how I ended up on the island. Strange, isn't it?"

"A bit." I agreed.

"I wish we knew who the woman was, but nobody could give us a name. They said she was a quiet woman, never talked to anyone growing up. You see, how the island works is: no outside families can move there. You can marry someone from off the island and they can live there with you and you can have a family together there, but other than that, nobody moves on to the island. I guess, except for my family, apparently."

My eyebrow twitched involuntarily, "I'm confused... why does the island work that way? Who made up those rules?"

She shook her head, "I don't know... no one knows. I do know how the island came to be populated though; a bunch of shipwrecked families drifted on to it. They managed to survive on it by building shacks, boats, and docks. This was a long time ago, like a really long time ago. Twilight Town was just coming to be. The people hadn't built along the southern shoreline yet, so neither people knew the other was there. Eventually Twilight Town did start construction farther south though,and spotted the island. They made friends and the town offered for the islanders to leave and join them, but the islanders said no. I guess it was them who made up the rules. Maybe they felt like they did so much hard work and stuff, they didn't want others taking claim over it, unless they were family."

"Where'd you learn this?"

"They told us the story as kids."

"So what did the other families do? You know, when you and your parents just _arrived_?"

She laughed, "They took a while to warm up to us. At least the parents did, anyway. The kids hated me at first too though. Wouldn't talk to me at all; wouldn't play with me. Sora was the first to accept me and of course Riku followed right after. That's probably why they're my two best friends. They're _my_ boys."

She snickered.

"What about Roxas? Did he accept you?"

She eyed me suspiciously, flipping her hair out of her eyes, "Roxas was always kind of in his own little world. Never really talked to anyone besides Cloud. But yeah, after Sora became my friend, I did get closer to Roxas too. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, just trying to learn more about the kid."

"Any reason why?"

"He won't really tell me much about him."

Her eyes narrowed, confused, "Who won't?"

"Roxas." I reminded her.

"How the hell do you know Roxas?" She crossed her arms.

"Him and Hayner got in a fight the other night and Hayner bargained me off and Roxas won." I shrugged.

She stared at me, dumbfounded, "You're kidding me?"

I shook my head, "Nope."

"Those boys are so rude."

"You kind of sound like Leon."

She looked up at me, surprised, "You know Leon too? Wow, am I out of the loop or what?"

I smiled and we sat in silence.

There was still something bothering me. It nagged at the corners of my mind and wouldn't leave. I took a deep breath and leaned on to the table, "Kairi, will you tell me who it is that everyone says I look like?"

"Roxas didn't say anything?"

"He told me it's a long story."

She tapped her chin, "Yeah, I guess it kind of would be for him."

I pleaded, "Well, can you please just give me a name and a picture or something. Just so I'm not so lost."

She sighed and opened her purse.

Her wallet was pulled out and she flipped through the pictures.

"This is Namine." She pulled the wallet sized picture out and placed it in the middle of the table.

"Namine?" I asked, confused. The name didn't ring a bell.

"Yeah, Namine."

We both leaned across the table to look. The girl was young in the picture, maybe eleven or twelve. My eyebrows furrowed and examined it a little more closely, "Kairi... this girl looks absolutely nothing like me. First of all, she has blond hair; I have brunette. Our eyes aren't even the same color."

Kairi studied the portrait sadly, "It's not so much that you look just like her... but something about you just reminds everybody of her."

"How so?"

Kairi glanced between me and the picture, "She was very quiet; always did her homework. She was super smart, in all the advanced classes, and she was nice to everyone. Her teachers loved her. She was very motherly, and always forgiving. You're a little less shy than her, but other than that, you're practically her with brown hair."

I studied the picture again.

"That's probably why Roxas wanted you... he was curious." Kairi shrugged.

I frowned, "So am I just your guy's replacement?"

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Of course not, Olette. Despite only meeting you Friday, we love you."

X.

The next couple weeks of school flew by. The homework freshman year was hardly a challenge, but I was often stuck with Pence, Hayner, Selphie, and Tidus, since the older kids were always swamped with class assignments. I didn't mind it too much, it's just that they fought a lot. Especially Tidus and Hayner. Always challenging each other, constantly stopping to wrestle. Ugh!

On the weekends I slurped smoothies with the whole gang and stole away to spend Saturday and Sunday with Roxas. I enjoyed the way the lonely boy's face lightened up everytime I walked in to the apartment, but I often wondered why he didn't just hang out with his old friends sometimes.

I sat on Roxas' floor, knees drawn to my chest, and he paced the room in front of me. Cloud had disappeared last night, though Roxas told me it was a common occurrence; which meant Leon was moping in his room. Yuffie and Aerith were shopping, I believe, and the apartment was the quietest its been in days.

Roxas sighed and continued pacing, "I... I'm not really sure where to start. I've never told anyone this stuff before."

I gave his leg a calming pat as he walked past me, "Told anyone what before? What's going on?" I had barely made it in the door when he had ushered me to his room.

"About what happened.. why I left the island." Roxas reminded me.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and stopped pacing, "I want to tell you _everything_. I know we only met like a month ago and you're probably really confused, but still. This needs to be told. I think it might help me."

I shrugged, "Good, because I wanna help."

"Okay..."

* * *

**Roxas**

I opened my eyes and stared in to the dark. The seagulls were calling and I knew it was almost morning. My foot had lost feeling from the uncomfortable position I had fallen in to and I gritted my teeth as it prickled.

The full moon was reflecting off the ocean and I let the cool breeze brush my face. My open window lured me to it and I leaned out. My room was only ten feet or so off the ground, and I usually jumped it since our yard was completely made of sand. A palm tree brushed against the side of the house; my way of getting back in. I climbed out of the window and dropped. I landed on my bare feet and slid on to my butt. The sand had never betrayed me with a noise ever, so I knew I was fine. I brushed the seat of my shorts off and took off in a run down the beach.

I smiled at the rush of it all and stopped when I reached the water. The cool waves slapped against my feet , seeming to rise a little higher every time. I relished in the feeling of the sand beneath my toes tickling me as it was brushed back with the retreating ocean. Truth was, I loved the island. I was completely and utterly in love with it's calm beauty and quiet splashing. Not during the day though. No, during the day the beauty was ignored as Tidus and Wakka threw each other in the water, upsetting its careful balance. No, during the day Selphie's childish squeal blocked out the whistles and there was no escape for the fact that she could be heard from any corner of the island. Riku and Sora weren't as bad, but I knew they still didn't appreciate the island as much as I did. They were more than ready to leave and I knew Kairi was right along with them.

During the day, I retreated in to my shell and followed Cloud through the trees. We often went for walks and laid in the shade when we were bothered. He didn't say much, but that was fine with me. He was my best friend and I knew I was his.

I took a careful step closer and the water was now coming to rest at my calves. I walked a little further and smiled as it lapped around my knees. The bottoms of my shorts grew wet and I pushed forward until the ocean completely surrounded my waist. My hands hung limply at my sides and I stroked the surface of the water with my fingers. This was when I loved the island. Completely undisturbed.

When morning came, I knew I'd have to actually return to the house. Today was the first day of middle school... and not just any middle school, Twilight Middle School. From the day we were born, each and every one of my friends and I were sheltered on this island, never allowed to leave. Then comes sixth grade and suddenly we're sent to Twilight Town, a place we've never been, and expected to get along up there perfectly fine. To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the century.

"Roxas?" A quiet voice asked behind me.

I knew without looking that Cloud was standing on the shore.

"Yes?" I asked, wondering how he could have possibly heard me over the noise of the ocean.

"You better go get ready. It'll be morning soon."

I sighed and turned to look at my best friend. He was older than me by a year and five months. His birthday was back in June and he had turned thirteen. I wouldn't be twelve until November. Cloud was also the oldest kid on the island. He was supposed to be sent to school last year, but he had refused to go. I didn't blame him though. Who would want to have to go by them self? In the end, his parents let him stick around another year, this way he would be entering school with Me, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Wakka. Selphie and Tidus would be left behind, seeing as they were only nine.

"Yeah, I should head home." I said in a daze.

He nodded his head and left for his house. Sun rise was starting to peek over the ocean and I hurried back to my own home. I climbed the familiar path up the palm tree and crawled through my window. I could here an alarm going off in the other room and knew Sora, my twin, was up.

The walk to school turned out to be a mile's length and Cloud and I took it in silence. Kairi chattered happily about her excitement and Rike shrugged, claiming he wasn't all that hyped.

Riku was my brother's best friend. They were nearly attached at the hip and sometimes Kairi was right beside them. I wondered how Wakka was going to take middle school, since his best friend was Tidus. I noticed the tall kid messed with his almost orange hair nervously and glanced back at the bridge to the island every so often.

We entered the front doors to the middle school with a lack of confidence and Kairi suddenly grabbed my hand in nervousness. I led the dark redhead through the doorway and we strode through the halls. Wakka found a sign saying for every sixth grader to assemble in the gym and we did as told.

Riku was the one to push open the doors to the gym and we all stepped in. I guess we were some of the last there, because the bleachers were packed. Everyone stopped talking and turned to get a better look at us.

Kairi gasped and tried to back out the door. I held tight to her hand and pulled her along. Cloud led us across the gym, in front of everyone, and sat on the opposite end. We followed quietly behind and the room was soaking in an awkward silence. Sora nudged Riku nervously and whispered, "Why's everyone staring?"

Riku shrugged, "I don't know." He glanced back at the crowd, who was still gazing at us, and flashed a wide simle. In that moment I think he forever made himself the most popular kid in school.

All the sixth grade teachers entered the gym shortly after us and one by one handed out slips with each of our lockers combinations on it. Along with that came our schedule and homerooms. Most of the kids still hadn't lost their interest in us and refused to look away as they were given their papers.

We parted ways to find our lockers and I told Cloud I'd see him in homeroom. I walked along the hallway, counting down the numbers to my own locker. I was way at the end, in locker 398, and I groaned when I realized I was in a type of 'ghetto' hallway. Several lights were broken and a few of the lockers were smashed in. I overheard a boy informing his friend that this was the only hallway without cameras too. How classy.

I used the combination on my slip to open my locker and pushed my book bag inside. My locker partner to my left completely ignored me and walked away without a word. I looked around my locker door to see who was on my right, but no one was there yet. I set all my newly acquired folders and notebooks in the bottom of the metal home and nearly jumped when a voice squeaked, "Hi!"

I stood up and saw a short blond girl opening the locker next to mine.

"Hi." I answered.

She gave me a quick smile, then continued to empty her book bag's contents as well.

"Who's your homeroom teacher?" She asked naturally, as if we had been friends forever.

"Uh... Gainsborough... you?" I shut my locker.

"Ah! You have my mom. Me too." She smiled and hooked her arm through mine.

"Your mom?" I repeated, staring at our arms, dumbfounded.

She nodded, "Yup... she's cool."

"That's cool." I felt shy. I'd never talked to a girl before, besides Kairi and Selphie.

"So what's your name?" She asked, still smiling.

"Roxas." I told her.

She nodded, "I'm Namine Gainsborough. So I hear you're from the islands?"

"Yeah..." I scrunched my face, "Is that why everyone stared at us?"

"Probably."

"Are you from here in town?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "Nope, I'm from Traverse Town."

"Where's that?" I asked, confused.

She pointed to the ceiling, "It's up north."

"You guys don't have your own middle school?"

"Yeah, we do."

I looked at her, even more confused, "So why do you go here?"

"Well mom was transferred down here, and I begged to go here instead. My sister always told me it was way better in Twilight Town, anyway."

"I see."

"Plus, once we hit high school, the two schools come together anyway and go to the Twilight Public High school. I figured it'd be easier if I was already used to the terrain down here."

We stopped in front of a doorway and unlinked arms. I followed her in to the home room and took a seat in back with Cloud.

X.

The day was pretty uneventful and I realized there was nothing scarey about school. It started and ended with no trouble and I nearly laughed at my previous nervousness.

I waved to Namine and raced around the corner. Cloud stood by the entrance, the others gathered behind him. We began the walk home and I asked Sora how his day went.

"I can't believe I don't have any classes with you!" He exclaimed, "I have a few with Riku, but I'm on my own in all the others... it sucks."

Kairi threw her arms up, "You think that's bad? I don't have any classes with _any_ of you! Not even homeroom!"

"Make any friends?" Wakka asked.

"No!" Kairi crossed her arms, "They spent the majority of the classes staring at me, but not once could they speak to me."

Riku nodded, "They did that to me too. I wanted to punch one of them."

I shrugged, "I made a friend."

They all looked at me, "Who?"

"Her name was Namine."

"Is she cool?" Kairi clasped her hands together. Some days I felt bad for the girl. She moved to the island about eight or so years ago, (not a common thing), and grew up with all boys, besides Selphie. Selphie was nice and all, but she talked _way_ too much.

I nodded, "I'll introduce you to her Monday."

We walked a few more blocks in silence.

"So Halloween's coming up soon... do you think we'll be aloud to trick or treat in town this year?" Sora asked hopefully.

Riku raised an eyebrow, "Sora... Halloween isn't for two and a half months!"

"I know." Sora shrugged.

We shook our heads and crossed the bridge. Wakka's mom was waiting on the other side and beamed when she saw us.

"Hi guys!" She rushed over to us, her red hair blowing in the breeze.

We smiled and said our hello's. Wakka and his mom turned off the bridge and on to the path that led to his house. Kairi shifted her book bag on her back and straightened her skirt, "Well, I should head home. I'll catch you guys later?" She skipped through the sand to a squealing Selphie, her only female friend, and told her about her first day.

The four of us continued along the road until it turned to a wooden path. Cloud glanced in the direction of my house and back to me, "Rox, you wanna hang?"

"Sure." I turned to Sora, "I'll be home later."

Sora's face grew serious, "Don't be too long... please?"

I promised him I'd be home in an hour or so and the other blond and I began our trek to the beach.

Cloud left his book bag on the walk way, then stepped out into the sand. I did the same and followed by his side.

"Your parents say anything to you this morning?" Cloud casually asked.

I shook my head, "Not to me. They told Sora good luck."

Cloud shook his head, "Stupid asses."

I nodded slightly and sighed.

Cloud placed his arm around my shoulder for a reassuring half hug and removed it so fast, it felt like my shoulder had been merely brushed.

We sat down on the docks and dangled our legs in the water.

"Do you think I'm weird? You know... for being the way I am?" Cloud suddenly asked.

I gazed curiously at him, my head tilting as I thought, "What do you mean?"

Cloud shrugged, "You know."

About a week ago, Cloud had confessed to being attracted to a boy on TV. I was still a little confused to fully realize what that meant, but it had surprised me all the same.

"Of course not."

He nodded and sighed.

"What time is it?" I asked Cloud.

He pulled out his watch, "4:30. You should go."

I pulled my wet feet out of the water and shook them off. Then I reached for my shoes and got up. Cloud continued to sit and I watched him. He didn't look at me but he waved me away, "I'm staying here."

I walked back to my house in despair. If there's anything I hate the most, it's definitely home.

My backpack was still where I left it and I noticed Kairi and Selphie were already in the water, swimming. They waved frantically to me and I acknowledged them with a lift of my arm.

I entered the front door quietly and set my shoes off to the side. I barely took a step before my mom exploded, "YOU'RE GETTING SAND _EVERYWHERE_!"

I looked down at my feet and realized I was covered to my ankles in dirt. Oops.

"Get OUT! You better not come back in until those legs are spotless. And I mean get out right NOW!" She chucked a rag for emphasis and I dodged it. Turning to leave the house in a hurry, the door slammed behind my back.

"Fuck you." I muttered under my breath.

I sat on our wooden porch and began to lightly brush the dirt off my legs. When I figured I was clean enough I reached for the door handle. Locked. Of course.

Pretending that my own mom did not just lock me out of the house, I scratched my head and sat back down on the porch. Another hour passed and still I heard no click of the door being unlocked. Growing increasingly frustrated, I walked around to the back of my house.

I cursed and began to scuttle up my reliable palm tree. It was like the trees knew one day we would need them, because one grew up right next to my window and the other sprouted next to Sora's. My window was also constantly kept unlocked, so I pushed it open and fell inside. My room was darkening along with the sky and I padded over to the switch.

I changed in to pajama pants and a plain white shirt, so even if my legs weren't one hundred percent clean, mom would never know. The smell of supper was beginning to enter my room and I smiled; boy was I hungry.

Mom never asked how I got in when I sat at the table for supper. She just completely ignored me and continued to ask Sora questions about his day. She even asked Riku how he was. But nope, no questions for Roxas. There never were.

* * *

**Olette**

"So you were neglected?" I asked.

He shrugged, "More or less."

"Why?" I let go of my legs and let them stretch.

His face showed no emotion, "Well, what I think the deal was, Claire only wanted one kid, not two. She wasn't expecting to have twins. Sora's the oldest, so I guess that makes me the unwanted one."

"That's horrible." I scowled.

Roxas laughed, "That's not even the worst part. Dad told me that after I was born, Claire wanted to just give me away. Held Sora and cooed over him; pretended I was never born and didn't even _name _me. Of course, Dad figured that was taking things a little too far and insisted they keep me. He was the one who named me Roxas. Roxas Sukai."

"So that's how you had to grow up? Ignored?"

"At first. Eventually she just decided she hated me. Was out to do whatever she could to kick me out. Dad told her he refused to kick me out for no reason, at least until I was at a proper age, so Claire came up with a list of rules. She told me if I broke even one of them, I was out."

My heart was beginning to hurt for the poor boy, "What were some of the rules?"

He tapped his chin, "Let me think... no drinking or smoking. No grades below a B... I don't know. There were so many. But the rules only applied if she caught me in the act."

"That's crazy." I breathed.

**_-Jaspen_**


	7. You're Gonna Miss This

**Chapter 6! Finally! I'm not even close to be done with chapter 7 yet, so be patient still lol. Enjoy! and Review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Warning: Could be slight cussing**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**You're Gonna Miss This**

_You're gonna miss this  
You're gonna want this back  
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast  
These are some good times  
So take a good look around  
You may not know it now  
But you're gonna miss this_

**Roxas**

The air smelt fishy and I cursed the latest rainstorm. It always made the sea roar that much angrier and I preferred the calm waters compared to the gigantic waves crashing on the shore. I unconsciously wrapped a tan arm around myself. It was coming close to November and the air had a chilly bite to it. Never the less, I let the cool ocean tickle my toes like every other morning.

Mine and Sora's twelfth birthday was only two weeks away and I was starting to dread it. Kairi usually went all out and made me something totally amazing, and Cloud would no doubt give me something special as well. But nothing my friends gave me could compare to the presents I dreamed my parents would some day bestow upon me.

The fact that Sora was the golden child in my parent's eyes is what hurt the most, though. As if I _decided_ to be the second born!

"Jeez, so this is where I always hear you sneak off too." I jumped at the voice behind me.

"Riku?"

"In the flesh and blood. You know, I could always hear you moving early every morning when I stayed with Sora. This is where you go?"

I nodded.

He moved to my side, "I can see why. I've never seen the beach this beautiful before. I'm guessing it's even prettier when a tropical storm hasn't hit hours earlier though, huh?"

"Yeah." I murmured.

"So.. turning the big one-two pretty soon?" He smiled his normal cocky smile. He was older than me too. He had turned twelve back in July.

I sighed and sat in the sand, "Yup."

He sat next to me and rolled up his pants, "So what do you want?"

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, "Honestly.. you're advice, or help, or_ something_."

He leaned forward and watched me, "On what?"

I swallowed.

"What's up?" I could feel his warm breath on my arm and it felt good. I wrapped my arms around my body and shivered. I wish I would have remembered a sweatshirt.

"I think..." I bit my lip, "I think I might be.. _gay_."

Riku's eyes widened, "Gay?" The word came out breathless and confused.

"As in boy-likes-boy gay?" He scratched his head.

"Is there any other kind?"

He shrugged, "I guess not... you just... surprised me is all."

"I'm not sure how to figure out if I am or not."

"Well, Rox, you're only about twelve. The hormones are probably just now suddenly kicking in and you don't know what to do about them yet." He stated this matter-of-factly.

I laughed, "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"It comes from being friends with Kairi."

"I see." My smile never faltered.

"What does Cloud have to say about it?"

I hadn't mentioned anything to Cloud yet. He was still trying to figure himself out and I didn't want to add my problem to his.

Riku frowned, "Was he upset or- oh god!"

"What?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Did Cloud kiss you? Is that why you're confused?" Riku put a hand to his mouth.

I waved my arms in front of me, "No, no, no!"

"Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack, Rox." He put a hand to his heart for emphasis. I smiled.

"So what _did_he say?" Riku swirled his fingers in the sand.

"Haven't told him yet." I shrugged.

Riku ran a hand through his silver hair. It gleamed in the moonlight and I just wanted to reach out and stroke it.

You see! It's thoughts like that that were making me confused!

"I wonder..." Riku whispered.

"You wonder what?"

"Wonder if I might be gay too..." He leaned his head back.

"I highly doubt that, Riku. All this talk is what's starting to confuse you now."

Riku turned to me, "I don't think so."

"What do you mean?"

The older boy reached an arm around my neck and pulled me closer. I yelped and he silenced me with a smooth, light, lip-to-lip kiss.

I gasped when he let me go, bringing a hand to my burning lips. Riku let a sad laugh escape, "I think I was right."

"I think I was too."

We stared at each other in dazed silence. Riku's silky hair was now reflecting various shades of yellow and pink, proving that morning wasn't going to hold off for us any longer.

"I'm sorry." The other boy whispered in to the early morning breeze and I shivered, "You cleared things up for me, at least. That was a good enough gift."

The silver headed boy laughed, embarrassed, "We should get back in. School tomorrow. Or I guess.. today."

"Yeah."

He stood up and offered a hand. I grasped his wrist firmly and was pulled to my feet. The other preteen softly brought our foreheads together and let his breath tickle my nose, "I'm here for you."

"I know."

* * *

**Olette**

"Riku?" Hundreds of questions were burning in my head, "You and him kissed? Did you ever get together? So I guess he was right then, because isn't he still gay? Oh my god.. _you're_ gay?"

Roxas started to speak, then stopped. He thought for moment, "Why can't you ask one question at a time?"

I apologized softly and rolled on to my stomach.

He frowned slightly, "I would never say Riku and I had a _thing_. You have to remember... we weren't even teens yet. It was more a case of two young homosexuals, who were extremely confused, attempting a first kiss. And yes, obviously, I'm gay."

I rubbed my chin, thoughtfully, "It's so crazy... all this happened when you were eleven?"

The blond nodded and twirled a lock of hair, "Yeah..."

I unsuccessfully tried to blow a strand of hair out of my face, "Were you scared?"

He sucked in a tight breath, "Are you kidding me? I wanted to piss my pants!"

I giggled loudly, "So what happened then?"

His face fell and he frowned, "Well... my birthday rolled around."

* * *

**Roxas**

"Wake up, Roxas!" I peeked open a tired eye and found an excited Sora bouncing in the doorway.

"Wha'?" I wiped the sleepy drool from my face and opened my other eye.

"What do you mean 'what'? It's our birthday!" Sora dived on to my bed and I groaned, "Ge' away! Yo' so annoyin'!" My face was buried in the pillow and I was hoping against hope that would be enough to drown out my twin's insane giggling.

"Aw come on, Roxy. Don't be so boring!" He began to tickle my sides and I quickly rolled away from him. He cried out in excitement and continued to torture me. I rolled a final time, falling off the edge and landing on my floor with a slight 'oof!'

"ROXAS! STOP THAT RACKET!" My mother's voice called from the kitchen.

Sora bit his lip, "Sorry."

I shrugged it off and stretched out on the floor. I didn't want to get up. Not yet.

"Come on Roxas.. come downstairs with me." Sora pleaded and crouched by my side.

I sighed. "It'll be less crappy for me if you go down first." I admitted.

Sora's face clouded over and he nodded, "Alright."

I didn't move an inch. Sora quickly ran down the steps and jumped the last two. I heard cheering, then quiet, and I assumed Mom had stopped to hug her golden boy. Dad's gruff voice could be heard just barely as he muttered, "Where's your brother?"

I imagined Mom's face showed no emotion as she passed Sora his first gift, "Well, that's not important now, is it? If he's not coming down for breakfast on time, that's his fault."

I scrambled to my feet and yanked my dresser open. I found a navy blue shirt and threw it over my head. I nearly tripped in my haste to get down the stairs and my heart sank when I reached the landing. Mom scoffed at me and Dad didn't even look up.

Sora gave an embarrassed smile, "Happy birthday, brother!"

I nodded my appreciation to him and sat at the counter. Normally Mom would throw a plate in front of me and drop a pancake or two on it. Today she didn't even acknowledge me.

I gathered some courage and coughed, "Can I have some breakfast?"

Mom scraped the last of the eggs in to the garbage and turned around with a slight smirk on her face, "If you would have been to breakfast on _time_, maybe you could have."

I nodded and Sora looked pained.

"Sorry." I mumbled and leaned on my hand.

Mom held her head high, a look of satisfaction on her face.

X.

"Roxas! Sora!" Kairi giggled like mad as she practically tackled us in to the sand.

She handed me a pink box with a blue ribbon and jumped off me, "I got you something, Roxy."

"I see that." I laughed. I quickly tore the box open and nearly dropped it. Something fell out and floated to the ground.

It landed at my feet and I reached down to pick it up. It was a picture. A picture of Sora and me. The sun was setting and I was laying in the sand. Sora was a few feet from me, standing and watching the sky. It was a pretty picture, the way the colors of the sunset were reflecting off the water.

"Thanks, Kairi." I gave her a warm smile and from the twinkle in her eye, I knew she understood how much it meant to me.

I stuffed the items in to my book bag and we continued walking. Cloud shuffled awkwardly next to me, "I got you something too."

I reached to take the small package he handed me and his lips tightened awkwardly. Gift giving wasn't really Cloud's thing. Heck, _talking_ wasn't Cloud's thing.

I ripped off the wrapping and found a checkered wrist band inside. I thanked the other boy and slid it on to my wrist. I liked it.

Sora caught up with us and wanted a closer look. He ran a finger along it and smiled, "That's pretty cool, Cloud."

Cloud mumbled something inaudible and I punched him softly in the arm as my thanks. We finished the walk to our school.

X.

At lunch Namine slid in to the seat next to me, "Happy birthday, boys!"

Sora thanked her and she pulled a large box from behind her back, "It's for you Roxas. I wanted to give it to you this morning, but I was late getting here."

"You didn't have to get me anything." I reminded her, but accepted the present anyway. She smiled and leaned on to the table.

I pulled off the ribbon and pushed the lid off the box. I reached in and pulled a short sleeve, white jacket out.

Namine twirled a strand of pale blond hair, "It's a little big yet. One day you'll grow in to it though. So you better tuck it away for now."

I tried it on anyway and she was definitely right, it was way too big. I really liked it though. She seemed to read my thoughts and gave me a smile before leaving.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked her, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"Not hungry."

"Oh. Well, hey.. I really need to talk to you. Wanna skip fourth period?"

"Of course, Roxy." She leaned towards me to mess up my hair before skipping off.

I frowned at her retreating back. This was the first day I 'd seen her in a week or two. She was missing a ton of school. I made a silent reminder to ask what was up later and took the jacket off. I folded it back in to the box and tucked it beneath my arm.

"She looks skinnier." Kairi popped a french fry in to her mouth.

I nodded and sighed.

"She hasn't been talking to me much lately either. Wonder what's up." That comment surprised me. I had introduced the two girls on the second day of school, like I had promised Kairi. They had become inseparable after that. Practically attached at the fricken hip.

"Have you asked her?" I suggested.

She shook her head, "Hasn't been returning my calls or anything. And I haven't seen her around school."

"It's weird." I sighed.

* * *

**Olette**

"Crap! Hold on." I pulled my ringing cell phone out of my pocket and held a finger up to Roxas.

"Where are you?" My mother calmly asked me.

"Roxas's, why?"

"Did you forget your aunt was coming?" I could practically feel her impatience.

"Oh yeah.. sorry." I started to stand up.

"It's fine. Just hurry home." She said a quick goodbye and clicked the phone off.

I shut my own phone and shoved it in my pocket.

"Hey, I gotta go for now. My aunt's back." I apologized.

Roxas grinned, "It's okay. Where's she back from?"

"My home town, Hollow Bastion." I explained.

Recognition crossed his face, "Depressing place."

I grabbed my sweatshirt and threw it on, "You've been there?"

"Oh, yeah.. a couple times actually." He stood to walk me to the door.

I left him in the doorway and raced down the steps. I must have startled Leon, because he jumped off the couch and stuffed his hands in his pocket.

I stifled my giggle and pointed to the door, "Walk me?"

He nodded quickly and we put on our shoes. I leaned against the wall for support and noticed the apartment wasn't looking as clean as usual. Probably had to do with Leon's slight depression.

We made it all the way to Trans Station in silence. A few times Leon opened his mouth, starting a word or two, then cut himself off and looked away. I watched him curiously as we walked down the hill.

"Is everything okay? I mean.. between you and Cloud?" I finally asked him.

He winced and turned away. Licking his lips nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck, "Just one of the usual fights."

"What are the usual fights?" I asked curiously. We were almost to the Commons.

"A quick argument, a couple fists thrown, then him taking off. Happens often."

"Where does he go?" I edged him on. I always love when Leon includes me in this stuff. From what Aerith tells me, he doesn't say much to anyone else.

"Not sure, truthfully."

"Weird."

I could see my house at the bottom of the road and knew my mom was probably watching out the window.

"I think I should be fine from here." I assured my body guard.

He nodded and glanced around, "Let me know if you see Cloud."

I promised him I would inform him straight away if there was any news and continued the short walk to my house.

I opened the front door and stepped in. Mom was sitting on the couch, "So.. who was that boy that walked you home?"

"That's Leon, Mom."

"Boyfriend?" She gave me a serious look.

"Yeah right. Leon's a little too old and depressing for me, Ma."

Her face scrunched up, "How old is too old?"

I shrugged and kicked off my shoes, "He's twenty one."

Her face switched from curious to alarmed, "Twenty one? What are you doing hanging around twenty one year olds? That isn't safe!"

I rolled my eyes, "He lives with Roxas, Ma. It's okay. He walks me home every day to _protect_ me."

"How old is this Roxas anyway?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"He's only seventeen."

"Well who cares how old the brute out there was.. what a hunk!" My aunt appeared in the front living room. I smiled as she ran to the window, "Is he still out there? I wanna catch a glimpse from behind!"

Did I mention my aunt was a weirdo? Well, now you know.

"We thought we'd go in to town for some shopping. Want to come?" My mom called from the kitchen. It was more of a demand than a question.

"I suppose." I pulled my shoes back on.

"We could get matching outfits! Isn't that what you girls do now a days? Wear matching shoes and little tight skirts?" My aunt wiggled her butt for emphasis. I widened my eyes in alarm, "Not really, Jane."

"How would you know, Olette?" My mom pulled a sweater over her head, "All your friends are boys."

Mostly gay boys though. They were pretty close to girls, right?

"Not all of them." I defended, "There's Kairi and Selphie."

My mother rolled her eyes, "Are we ready?"

Shopping was pretty limited here in Twilight Town, but we did our best. My aunt Jane bought me three different shirts (all orange!) two pairs of capris, and a white dress for 'special occasion'.

We sat in a cafe, sipping milkshakes and laughing. My mom pouted, "Did you really have to buy her all that, Jane?"

My aunt waved her away and pinched my cheek, "Of course! It's not very often I see my little girl."

I brushed her off, embarrassed, "Oh, stop it."

"Olette?" I turned over my shoulder to see Yuffie inching forward.

She was sporting her usual ninja outfit and looking very hyper. I smiled, "Hey, Yuffie!"

"Shopping, I see?" She nudged our bags with her toe.

Jane took matters in to her own hands and jumped up, "Hi!"

Yuffie eyed her momentarily before offering a hand, "It's Yuffie."

"Jane." My aunt pointed to her small white shorts, "I like your outfit.. where you find something like that?"

Yuffie glanced at me curiously and smiled, "Can't remember, really."

Jane looked thoughtful, "I should get me some."

Yuffie gave her a thumbs up, "Go for it! Well, I should head out. I'll see you Monday, Olette."

Aerith waved to me from the doors and Yuffie followed her out.

Mom shook her head, "Who was that? Looked like a gang member or something."

"That's Yuffie, my World Lit. teacher."

"She's a teacher?" My mom nearly dropped her milkshake, "My god, what has this town come to? She looks about eighteen!"

I ignored her and stood, "Ready to go?"

Jane tapped her cheek, "I liked her outfit. Wonder if I could get one myself."

I grabbed my bags and headed for the door, "I'm not sure it's really your style though."

"You don't think so?" She pondered the subject a moment longer.

X.

I shifted slightly, my blankets hardly moving. The bright green numbers on my alarm clock read 1:00. It was a Friday night and I had been through a long and exhausting day of school and homework. Thunder clapped quietly and I pushed back my covers. Tip-toeing to the window, I watched the storm that covered Destiny Island. I silently wondered if Roxas still lived at home, would he have been watching out his window as well? Something deep down told me yes.

I turned back to my bed and shuffled under the warmth it presented. My eyelids started to feel heavy and they fluttered shut several times. My head fell to the side and I took in a deep breath.

Morning came too early. I woke by 6:30 and the sun was beginning to rise. My eyes blinked rapidly as I yawned, arms stretching above me.

I was the first to rise and the house was expectantly quiet. Pouring my self a bowl of cereal, I sighed, content, and ate slowly.

8:00 rolled around and I had yet to leave the kitchen. Jane was the first to enter the tiled room and she was soon followed by my parents.

"What're your plans, Olette?" My dad asked as he turned on the news. I shrugged, "Probably going to Roxas'."

"I've been thinking.." My mother began as she made coffee, "You're always hanging out with these friends of yours. Friends we've never met before. How about we all go to dinner Monday night, and you bring one of these so called friends along?"

"What?" I nearly dropped my bowl.

"Dinner. You. Us. One of your friends!" Jane answered excitedly.

I glanced between them, "You're joking?"

My mum shook her head, "Nope."

"But Mum.. they're just my friends. I'm not dating any of them." I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes, "Did I ever say it had to be a date?"

I groaned silently and headed to my room.

X.

"Ooh.. bummer." Roxas whistled.

I shooked my head, "I know, right? Who am I supposed to bring? I have to bring someone she'll like or she'll throw a fit!"

Roxas thought, "Well.. if you're looking for a charmer.. my suggestion is Riku."

"Riku?" I repeated.

"Yup." He nodded.

I thought this over while Roxas drummed his fingers on the table. The front door crashed open and Yuffie skipped through. Aerith followed silently in her wake, smiling warmly when she saw us.

"Hey guys!" Yuffie greeted as she fell on to the couch. Aerith rifled through the refrigerator, "You guys hungry?

"Nah." We answered in unison.

Aerith stood up and looked us over, "I'm feeding you guys anyway. You're too skinny. It worries me."

Roxas rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, "Whatever. Come on, let's go, Olette."

I followed him out the door and we sat on the steps.

"Will you continue?" I asked the blond eagerly and he watched me for a moment.

"Of course."

* * *

**Roxas**

"So what's up?" Namine asked quietly as we sat on a stone bench. The school lingered behind us and we closed our eyes as the soft mid-autumn breeze blew our hair.

I paused, thinking of a way to describe to her the story of my morning.

"Well.." I started, my words drifting off.

Namine gave me a comfortable smile and a pat on my knee. I drew a deep breath and let my cheeks puff out as I released it.

"Riku and I... kissed."

Her eyes widened slightly, but other than that, she showed no other emotion.

"How'd this happen?"

I shrugged, "I was talking to him.. about the possibility of me being gay.. and he claimed he might be too. Then it just.. happened."

She stared intently at me for a few seconds, her gaze lingering on my lips, as if that held the truth to everything.

"Maybe.." She started, "Maybe you're not necessarily gay, just confused."

"That's what I was thinking. And that's exactly what Riku said. But I don't feel confused anymore. I think I was right.. I like boys."

She smiled, "You say it so openly."

"Who's there to hide from?" I shrugged.

She laughed and nodded, "I forgot you don't care what others think."

"Well, why should I?" I demanded.

Her pale blue eyes twinkled and she sighed happily, "You're right, you shouldn't."

I smiled at her and stretched, "For once.. I am content. Everything is content."

X.

"What DIVINE right do you think you have? What? You're Roxas and you just don't need to show up for classes? What the hell is the _matter _with you? Sora doesn't skip classes!"

Sora sank further in his seat at the kitchen table and I glanced briefly at him.

"Are you even listening?" My mother snapped her fingers in my face and I looked back to her.

"No, I'm not, you might as well shut the fuck up." I spat, my eyes forming a slight glare. The silence stretched, save for the drop of Sora's spoon. My mother eyed me in shock.

"OUT!" Her sudden fury unleashed and I was shoved to the ground. Her body was shaking with anger and her face was almost purple.

"THIS IS MY HOUSE AND I WANT YOU _OUT_ OF IT!"

I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door as she started throwing things. I could hear Sora yelp and hide beneath the table as plates shattered against the wall. Yep, Mum had finally lost it.

I continued to run until I was out the door, across the yard, and off the island. My lungs burned with the pain, but I didn't stop. My body whirled around, confusion closing in at every turn. It was stupid to have run. I didn't know how to find anything in Twilight Town, besides the school.

After much asking and reading signs, I numbly found my way to the famous train station. My mind was in a daze and I hopped on the next train. Not really sure where I was going, I sat in a seat and drifted off to sleep.

The beepers sounded and I blinked my eyes open. Several others had boarded the train and were watching me curiously. Pulling myself to my feet, I slid through the doors and jumped down the steps. I wasn't sure if it was almost dark or not, since this area of town could barely see the sunset. Tall gates loomed less than a mile away and I stared, entranced. Where was I?

"Uh.. hey there, kiddo. You lost?" I whipped around to find a dark headed girl approaching cautiously.

"Um.. where am I?" I asked, confused.

She gave me a strange look and pointed to the gates, "That's Traverse Town."

I repeated the words quietly to myself. _Traverse Town_. Namine's home!

"Thanks." I nodded to the girl and walked quickly towards the looming city.

The girl called out a goodbye and watched me from where she stood. I coughed several times and rubbed my arms briskly. It was a lot colder up here without so much sun. As I neared the dark gates, I hesitated as a couple figures gathered near the open walkway.

Deciding to ignore them, I bowed me head, but felt their stare as I passed them. I was too afraid to even look at them. They didn't stop or follow me and I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

The city was a big difference compared to the island. It was dark and a little cloudy, like the sun couldn't reach here, only the moon. The stone walls that surrounded the town made it cold and clammy. How could anyone live here?

I wandered aimlessly through the streets. I had absolutely no clue where Namine lived and the city was proving larger than I had previously thought. I exited one area of town and enter another called "Second District."

The stone street met stone steps and I looked down them, wondering if I should take them or continue around.

"Who's this?" A voice rang out in the darkness.

I shivered and whipped around, startled to see several guys standing behind me. They wore simple blue jeans and dark hooded sweatshirts to keep them warm. I knew I looked odd in my bright clothes; my tan skin refusing to gleam in the moonlight like the others'.

The one who had spoken, a blond, stepped forward. He was the tellest of them all, with the oldest looks as well. He examined me closely, "Never seen you around here before."

My body refused to say anything and I backed several steps away.

Another boy, whose hair looked gray, maybe blue, stepped forward as well, "From way down south. I can smell the ocean salt on him.

The blond smiled and shifted from hip to hip, "So you live in Twilight Town, huh?"

"Destiny Island." I corrected him softly.

They all paused and the blonde blinked, "The island.. I've never met anyone from the island." His gaze softened and his smile became less menacing and more playful, "What's it like?"

I shrugged, gritting my teeth against the cold, "Warm, sunny, unbelievably beautiful."

He smiled, "I wish I could have grown up somewhere like that."

The third member, who I now noticed was a girl, rolled her eyes, "Come on Demyx, you suck! You're like a poodle.. get you all excited and you practically piddle everywhere!"

The blonde glared at the girl over his shoulder, "But this is _Destiny Islands_!"

She set her hands on her hips, "See... this is why I hate going out with you two. You're all threatening and scarey one moment, then you discover he's from somewhere sunny and babble on like an idiot!"

"'Cause he is an idiot." The blue-headed boy muttered.

The one named Demyx pouted, "Oh, seriously... look at the poor kid. He's lost, cold, and scared. Probably hungry too."

All three turned to me to confirm this and I shifted, "I _am_ a little hungry."

The blond raised a fist in to the air and whooped, "I was right! He IS hungry! Can you seriously beat up someone that looks as cute as him?"

The girl gave him a disgusted look, "Yes.. yes, I can."

The blonde's face fell and he shrugged, "And that's why everyone hates you! Come on, shorty!"

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and turned me away. We walked around the stairs and entered a hotel. The blue headed boy followed but the girl disappeared.

"Sorry about her." The blond apologized

A crash could be heard down the hall and we all froze. I could hear objects being thrown and knocked over, but couldn't understand the words being yelled to each other.

The blue headed kid licked his lips, "Maybe you should take the boy away for a bit."

Demyx nodded and seemed to be deep in thought, "You're right, Zexion. We'll find Axel."

Zexion agreed and crept towards the door of the fighting. I was steered back out of the hotel and Demyx pulled off his sweatshirt, "Here, put this on."

I did as told and nearly drowned in the long black hoodie, "Who's Axel?"

Demyx put a hand to the small of my back and pushed me along the road.

"A friend. He lives here in the hotel as well, but he's got a second place to stay elsewhere."

I followed silently as we took the steps I pondered over earlier and entered in to a third district. At the far end, a door decorated with flames stood half open. We walked through the flaming doorway and I shivered at the new moist region. An old abandoned-looking house, surrounded by a type of moat, creaked slightly. A light could be seen in the back and I stepped closer. Demyx shut the door behind us and inched towards the water.

The only natural water I had ever been around outside the shower was the ocean. This water was nothing like the ocean. It was thick and oily looking, slowly turning a greenish color. It made the air smell musty, damp, and stale. It was hard to imagine someone sleeping here.

"Come on, Kiddo." The blond stepped on to the nearest rock in the water, then jumped to the next. I followed, slightly afraid of falling in.

We finally reached the small island that the house was located on and Demyx led the way to the back. A sheet, used as a door, was pulled aside and I jumped back. Demyx caught my arm before I could tumble in to the nasty water.

My heart rate slowed a bit and I let out an exhausted sigh.

"Jeez, Axel. I thought he was gunna have a heart attack."

"Sorry." The other boy apologized, shifting to get a better look at me.

I instantly hid behind Demyx, feeling very childish as I did.

The blond chuckled and motioned towards the light, "Let's warm him up, he's gotta be freezing."

Axel nodded and we pushed through the sheet. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the light, which I now realized was firelight, and Demyx ushered me toward the bed.

"Lay down and get some rest." He commanded me and I willingly snuggled in to the comfort of the bed. A blanket was tossed over me and I sighed.

"Where'd you find him?" Axel asked as he brought a cup of warm water. I was pushed to sit up and drink from the cup. Demyz shook his head, "Found him in the second district. Lost, I think."

"Where's he from?" I could see both of them better in the light of the fire. Demyx looked about fourteen, maybe fifteen, and Axel had to be at least sixteen.

"Zexion said he lived around the ocean, could smell salt water on him. Then the kid confessed to living on the islands down south."

"The islands?" Axel's voice sounded confused, "What's a kid from the islands doing up here?"

I felt the bed move as Demyx shrugged, "Not sure.. crazy, huh?"

What was it with people being so fascinated with us, just because we live on some stupid island? That's all anyone can talk about.

X.

My eyes peeked open and I groaned at the pain in my throat as I tried to swallow. I must be sick... just great.

The room had a eery glow to it. I figured it was dark outside, but the fire was keeping the room lighted. Axel was moving around the other side of the room and I coughed a hoarse, "Where's Demyx?"

He jumped at my voice and dropped the papers he was holding, "Jesus!"

I pushed my lips thin to keep from laughing, "Sorry."

"S'fine, kid." He picked up his papers and dropped them on to a desk, "Demyx left last night to check on Zexion."

"I see." I yawned and sat up. Axel crossed the room and felt my forehead, "I think you might have a fever."

I wasn't listening, I had suddenly caught a real glimpse at the other boy and my god.. was he _gorgeous_!

"You okay kid?" Axel tilted his head slightly to the side, trying to get a better look. For a moment, neither of us said a word.

Something silent and strange passed between us and Axel coughed, "You, uh... you hungry?"

I nodded my head eagerly and pushed the covers off. As I followed the older boy out the door, I stared at the back of his head... how is there so much red?

I unconsciously crossed the stones in the water, completely forgetting they were there. I was too god damn entranced by that damned red hair. It just looked so _red_.

We exited through the fire door and I gasped at the biting cold, "Why's it still dark?" I asked as I glanced at the stars above.

"It's always dark here." Axel replied and grabbed my sleeve to hurry me up.

"Always?" My eyes widened.

He chuckled softly, "Well, not _always_. Most of the time though. And when it's not completely dark out, it's raining. Not used to anything but the island, huh?"

I nodded my head.

We entered the hotel cautiously. There were no noises to be heard, especially no thrashing and cursing, and Axel took that as an initiative to continue on.

At the end of the hall there was a kitchen with an attached commons area. We stepped in quietly and Axel swivelled around, "Where the hell is Demyx?"

Right on que, Demyx stalked in to the kitchen. His hair was flattened on one side and his eyes were weighted with purplish bags. His face was littered with bruises.

Axel took two quick steps and touched one of the blonde's bruising cheeks, "What the fuck happened?"

"Me and Zex fought a little, that's all."

My eyes widened as I sat up on the counter.

Axel's nostrils widened and he bit the inside of his cheek for control, "Why'd you fight?"

"Small disagreement." The blond shrugged and pulled out a loaf of bread.

"Over what?" Axel spat, "I thought you went back to check on him! What happened?"

Demyx shrugged and put an extra piece of bread in the toaster for me, "I did and he was fine, except a few cuts. Then I was disinfecting him and we had a minor disagreement, like I said."

Axel's eyes narrowed dangerously over the blonde's shoulder and we all turned to watch Zexion stride in. The blue-headed boy eyed us curiously before his gaze landed on Demyx. His gaze sank and he took a slow step forward, causing the blonde to leave the room in a frenzy.

Axel roughly reached for Zexion's shirt collar and pulled him closer, "What the fuck happened?"

Zexion's eyes widened and he glanced down at the fingers grasping his shirt, "Jesus, I just wasn't ready, okay?"

Axel's grip slackened as he pondered the other's words. I watched, confused, from the counter still, and waited for something else to be said. Zexion slipped away and left the opposite way of Dem.

A blonde girl glided in to the room, her voice very recognizable, "Ah, so we're keeping the boy?"

I remembered her from last night and really didn't want anything to do with her. She was a bitch.

Axel popped my toast and spread peanut butter across them, "He looks a little young, don't you think?"

The girl shrugged and her constant, piercing glare landed on me, "How old are you?"

I sank on the spot, "Just turned twelve."

Axel handed me my breakfast, along with a glass of milk, "Told ya, Larxene."

She scoffed, "Twelve isn't young. That's how old Demyx was. And didn't you come here around ten?"

Axel stiffened slightly, but chose to ignore her. She didn't like the lack of attention and pressed on, "Then again, maybe it is a bad idea.. seeing how Demyx turned out emotionally unstable. And you... Bipolar Disorder in its worst form."

Axel took deep breaths and swallowed. I could tell already he was having trouble keeping his temper under control.

Larxene smirked, a little crookedly, and set her hands on her hips, "But what else is there to do for the poor little boy? You couldn't possibly turn him out. So I might as well get the Superior right now, see what he has to say."

Axel slammed a plate on to the wooden counter, "Damnit, Larxene. Just shut up! We don't even know why he's here yet."

For a moment she looked angry, but then realized her task was finished, now that she got a rise out of the redhead. With a casual snicker, she strode out of there, looking nothing but bitchy.

I watched her retreating back and glanced to Axel. His back was turned to me and he was gripping the counter especially hard.

"You done?" He suddenly turned.

I nodded quickly and set my unfinished meal in the sink. We left the warmth of the hotel and stepped outside again. Demyx was standing against the far railing, looking at the courtyard below. We approached him carefully, trying not to startle him.

He jumped anyway when he saw us and sighed, "Can you believe it?"

Axel leaned next to him and both turned to study me. I shifted awkwardly.

"Believe what?" Axel asked him.

Demyx shook his head, "The way life turns out."

The redhead sighed, "I guess."

Everyone stood silently. I coughed several times and Demyx gave me a sympathetic look.

"We need to get you out of here, Dem." Axel whispered, "You're too young. You need your father.. parents."

Demyx's forehead creased and he sprung from the rail, "No! That's what you don't get, Axel. I don't have a father! I don't have parents! Stop trying to make me go back! Isn't that why we're here? Isn't that why we do what we do at night? For a place to stay? A home? I don't need a father. I don't want a father. I'd never go back to that hell hole." He stormed away, his breath forming wisps above his head.

Axel stood frozen to the spot. I waited with him for a few minutes. He didn't move once.

My toes were completely numb and I had an ass of a headache. Axel seemed to be too lost in thought to notice me and I decided to think about some things myself.

What had Dem meant when he said 'Isn't that why we do what we do at night? For a place to stay?' What DID they do for room and board? I shuddered. Also, what had happened between Demyx and Zexion?

"Axel.." I began. He grunted his acknowledgement and rubbed his chin.

My legs gave out and I felt my body tumble to the ground.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	8. Dare You to Move

**Chapter seven up! It's actually pretty short compared to my others. Only 4,000 something words. Review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**.

**Warnings: cussing, boyxboy**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Dare you to Move**

_Welcome to the fall out_

_Welcome to resistance_

_The tension is here_

_Between who you are_

_And who you could be_

_Between how it is_

_And how it should be_

**Roxas**

"Damn... is he okay?" The voice seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. I opened my eyes slowly and a splitting headache erupted. My eyes flew shut once more and I groaned.

"I think he's really sick." This voice I didn't recognize, but it was definitely a girl.

"Holy shit... he scared the living fuck outta me! I thought he was dead! One minute he was standing there, the next he fell in to my arms." Axel chimed in.

A wet cloth was placed on my forehead and I was weighted down with more blankets.

"He fainted is all. He's really sick." The unfamiliar voice spoke again.

X.

A soft hand was rubbing my back soothingly, coaxing me to stay asleep. I tried to oblige, but I was all slept out.

"Rox?" A soft whisper asked in my ear, "You awake?"

I grumbled softly and lifted my head.

I was helped up and held in place as I momentarily swayed. My eyesight swam in to focus and I blinked several times. Namine was sitting next to me on the same bed I had slept in the other night.

"Nam?" I croaked. She smiled and nodded, her pale hair falling off her shoulders.

"You really gave Axel quite the scare." She giggled, "He nearly had a heart attack."

"What happened?" I yawned and stretched.

She giggled some more, "You fainted, I believe. "

"Hey! You're awake!" I glanced to the doorway and found Demyx smiling brightly. He shuffled over to me and pat me on the head like a child.

I felt Namine's weight shift off the bed as she stood, "I'll find Aerith."

Demyx waved her away and felt my forehead, "You feel like you're getting better. I think it's just this cold musty atmosphere that you're not used to. That's probably what's making you sick."

"This city makes me feel closed in." I admitted.

Demyx shrugged, "Hell, it makes everybody feel closed in."

"Roxas, you're alright!" A girl strode in to the room. The resemblance between her and Namine was pretty strong, despite the brunette hair. I could only guess that this was her sister.

The brunette wasted no time with introductions. She put a small hand to my cheeks and forehead, then stepped back to examine me, "You're looking a lot better than yesterday."

I gave a weak smile and nodded. Her eyes studied me a moment longer before she swooped me up and hugged me tightly.

"Oh no... Aerith has gone in to mother duck mode." Demyx chuckled from his place on the bed, "She's not going to let you out of her sight now."

Aerith only smiled bigger and released me, "Let's get you breakfast and then find Axel. He'll be happy to know you're not dead."

X.

Instead of the hotel this time, we ate in a small diner that was completely open to the outside. It was nestled between two brick buildings and had no walls or doors, being merely covered with a canopy. A woman in a green apron appeared at our table as we sat, "Hey guys, what'll it be?"

Aerith ordered for the three of us and Demyx turned his attention to me, "So... what's it like down on the islands?"

"Perfect." I muttered.

He sighed and glanced around the dark and cloudy city, "I can only imagine. Why's it always so goddamn dark here?"

Aerith flashed him a warning look, "Don't cuss, Dem."

He stuck his tongue out and rolled his eyes.

A chair scuffed as it was pulled away from the table and we looked up to see a very tired looking Axel sitting down.

"Long night?" Demyx asked.

Axel groaned and rubbed his eyes, "I had to sleep in the hotel last night."

They all nodded with understanding and I looked between the three of them with confusion, "What's wrong with the hotel?"

Axel reached out and ruffled my blond spikes, "Nothing that concerns you."

I pouted and they ignored me, starting a conversation about plans to move to a city called Hollow Bastion. My mind spaced off and I sat staring at my fingers.

The food was suddenly placed in front of us and I dug in greedily. When was the last time I ate?

"Slow down, kid. You're gunna choke!" Demyx laughed and clapped me on the back. I coughed on the food in my mouth a little and pushed it down with some milk.

"So why are you here, kid? Did you run away?" Axel asked from across the table. I glanced up briefly, making contact with his twin emerald eyes.

"Kinda."

"Why?" Axel pushed, bringing another spoonful of food to his mouth.

I shrugged, "Parents."

Demyx groaned, "Amen to that."

* * *

**Olette**

"I like Demyx. He sounds so cheerful." I tried to imagine the boy Roxas described in his story. The picture I came up with was pretty much Sora.

I voiced this image to Roxas.

He nodded once and agreed, "That's probably why I liked him so much at first; he reminded me of my brother, who I really missed."

"How long did you stay in Traverse Town?" I couldn't even accept the possibility of running away from home to a completely unfamiliar place, all alone. The very thought frightened me.

Roxas rolled his neck to relieve it of any stiffness, "Probably a few weeks. I didn't keep track."

The door swung open and Yuffie poked her head out, "Aerith says your food is ready."

We agreed to continue the story later and followed the ninja inside. The table was set for three and I motioned to the third plate curiously.

Yuffie pointed to the stairs, "For Squall."

I could hear muffled voices coming from the upstairs hallway. Aerith was knocking on Leon's door, pleading softly, "Please, Squall. You need to eat something." Her speech switched from pleading to reassuring, "He's going to be back soon, you know how he is."

We listened for the sound of Leon's door to open, but it never came. Aerith sighed and came back downstairs, looking worried.

"He's hardly eaten anything all week." She told us. Yuffie shook her head and grabbed his plate for herself.

"How long is Cloud usually gone for?" I asked between mouthfuls.

Aerith shook her head, "Not this long. I hope he's okay."

Yuffie made a _tch_ sound with her tongue, "Of course he's okay! The cranky bastard is just getting Squall all riled up. He loves the fight; making Leon worry about him. Making _everybody_ worry about him."

Roxas growled from his seat, "As if you know anything about him, _Yuffie_."

She gave him a childish look, "Oh shut up Roxas. You're just a kid, you don't know anything either."

The blonde's glare turned deadly as he jumped up, knocking his chair backwards. He lunged for the ninja, growling as they fell to the floor. Aerith gasped and stepped away and I watched wide-eyed. They rolled around, clawing at each other's necks.

"STOP IT!" Leons voice roared, demanding attention. He pulled them apart effortlessly. Yuffie attempted to break through his barrier and tackle Roxas to the ground. Leon pushed the blond further behind him and blocked the dark headed ninja.

Everyone stilled and watched him silently. His body sagged slightly and bags hung beneath his eyes. I was pretty sure he hadn't slept in days.

"Just stop it, okay?" His voice came out as a whisper, "I'm too tired to deal with this."

He gave us a final look and left the apartment completely. Aerith looked torn between following him and staying to make sure the fight was over. She finally decided on staying and began cleaning up the mess that was created.

Roxas gritted his teeth, letting out a disbelieving snort, then turned to run up the stairs. I followed quickly behind, recieving a soft smile from Aerith on the way.

He intentionally left his door open, knowing I would be right behind him. When I entered, I found him standing by the window, frowning at the dark sky.

"Let's keep going."

* * *

**Roxas**

"I'm not sure what to do." Axel's fierce whisper pierced the night.

Demyx was silent for a moment before tapping his chin, "Maybe we can sneak him in."

Axel frowned, "But if the Superior finds out, you know what'll happen."

"Where else are you going to keep him? If he stays in that hut any longer, he'll die of pneumonia!" Demyx reminded him.

"Okay. I'll keep him in my room."

They both stood up straight again and turned to me. I tried to act as if I hadn't just heard every word they said.

"Plan is..." Axel began, "You're gunna stay with me. But you must make ABSOLUTELY _no_ noise, got it memorized?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Okay, let's do this."

I followed the lanky redhead towards the doors to the hotel. He peeked inside and then quickly dragged me in behind him. We practically sprinted down the hall to a door labeled as '8'. The door was shut behind us and Axel sighed, relieved.

"Wow, I'm wiped. I'm going to bed." He started pulling off his shirt and then kicked off his pants, remaining only in his boxers. My cheeks burned red and I turned away.

"Come on kid. I'm not going to ravish you in your sleep, I promise." He assured me as he climbed under the covers. I nodded briefly and began to undress as he did. The hotel was much warmer than the abandoned house and I smiled thankfully as I slid between the sheets. I wasted no time in falling asleep.

X.

The routine had continued for two weeks. I had spent my days with Aerith when everyone else was in school, and sometimes Namine would skip to hang with me. At night I slipped in to the hotel unnoticed and slept along side my redheaded friend. In the morning Demyx fed me quickly in the kitchen and then we snuck outside without being seen. The only one who noticed my presence was Zexion, but he remained silent.

Eventually though, I was discovered. Saix had spotted me one day while I was sneaking in to Axel's room. The Superior was told, whoever that was, and both Axel and I were awaiting our fate.

There was a knock on the door and Axel winced. Without either of our help, the man let himself in. Just him entering the room was enough to send chills down my spine.

"Number Eight," He addressed Axel, "You know the rules."

Axel swallowed and fixed him with a hard stare.

"The rules don't change for anyone." He reminded him.

Neither of us said a word.

"So be it." The man shrugged and began advancing towards me. I gasped and backed away, not really sure what was happening. He continued towards me, grabbing my wrist and trying to drag me out of the room.

Axel's eyes widened tremendously and he hurried to put an arm between us, "No, please!" His eyes were fearful, "I'll do it for him."

The Superior's gaze switched briefly between us and I realized I was shaking.

"That's not really how the rules work, Number Eight."

Axel nodded quickly, "I know, I know! But he isn't planning to make this place permanent... it's only temporary."  
The man took this in to consideration, "Well, if you're willing to take his place-"

"I am." Axel cut in.

He nodded firmly and turned to leave, "I'll see you soon."

The door clicked shut behind him and Axel deflated.

"What's going on?" I whispered, surprised at how scared my voice sounded.

He glanced at me for barely a moment, "I'll see you in the morning. Lock the door."

* * *

**Olette**

"So what did he have to do?" I asked, a little shaken. I had a pretty good guess in mind, but I wanted to make sure.

Roxas swallowed, "Apparently... to stay or live in the hotel without rent or expenses of any kind... you had to sleep with the Superior."

My face scrunched with disgust, "That's completely gross."

"Don't I know it." Roxas shook his head, "And Axel had to do it double the amount of times... all because he didn't want me to have to experience it. I'm pretty sure that's when I first fell in love with the idiot."

My face broke in to a slight grin, "That's cute."

Roxas' features disintegrated in to a lovestruck smile, "Yeah..."

"So all those people living there, like Axel, Demyx, Zexion, and Larxene... they all had to do that?"

"Yup."

"That's so sad."

Roxas shook his head in disbelief, "Demyx was only fourteen too. I'm not exactly sure of Zexion's age. I've heard that he's even younger than Demyx, but I don't know for sure."

"What a way to live." I breathed.

"They had no homes or parents. Axel's were dead, Zexion's disappeared, and Demyx's were abusive. I'm not sure about everyone else's stories. Because there _were_ others, besides those guys, too. There was twelve of them in all, including the Superior. It was a hotel filled with orphans."

I shifted to get more comfortable, "What about Aerith and Namine?"

His head shook quickly and he smiled, "No... they had perfect lives. Well, not _perfect_. But they lived with their mum in a small house somewhere in the third district. A happy family."

"So did you and Axel continue to be roommates?"

He let of a breathy laugh, "Yeah, until I screwed everything up."

* * *

**Roxas**

Everyone knew Axel was prone to fits of rage. Everyone also knew to leave him alone. Why was I the only stupid one?

"And he had the nerve to tell everyone that!" The redhead continued, "As if it was true!"

I nodded quickly and sank further into my seat. His lanky form paced in front of me. Back and forth, back and forth.

"I mean, the kid's a nutcase! Everyone knows that! But they still gave me that look. A look that said 'we know he's right'."

I nodded again as he looked to me for an answer. Truth be told, I wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about. I had been sitting on the bed, tying my shoes, when suddenly Axel burst through the door exclaiming he was back stabbed or something.

A growl started low in his throat and I bit my lip cautiously. He wasn't looking at me, he was focusing on the small desk in the corner. His fingers twitched and I let out a soft whimper as he grabbed the desk by the corner and flipped it over, papers flying everywhere. Next he reached for the bedside lamp, shattering it against the floor and I was smart enough to jump off the bed before he could rip off the sheets. It wasn't the first time he'd gone violent during a fit, but it still scared me.

I heard the door click open and Demyx hurried inside. At the sight of his friend, Axel calmed slightly, his breathing still heavy. The blond wrapped a comforting arm around the redhead, whispering something in his ear.

Axel was my friend, my companion, and my roommate. But no matter how much I tried, he never quieted so quickly for me. Sometimes it would take hours for me to sit the older kid down and help him fall asleep. Demyx easily moved him to the bed and pulled the sheets up over him. We watched Axel's eyes squeeze shut as he rolled on to his side and I knew he was fighting off the headache that always followed his anger.

Demyx sighed and glanced up at me, "Why don't you lay down next to him? He'll feel better if he wakes up with someone. I need to go right now. I'll check on him later, okay?"

I nodded and listened for him to leave the room and shut the door behind him. Axel's light breathing evened out and I lay next to him, on top of the covers. Sleep wouldn't come to me so I simply watched the other. My eyes roamed his tense muscles, and I saw his hands clinging to the blankets. I wanted to reach out and take one, but I knew the redhead would be angry if he figured out.

"Roxy?" Axel's tired voice whispered. I blinked at the new nickname, wondering when he had started calling me that.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" He asked, not even opening his eyes.

Normally on days like this I stayed in Demyx's room. I was scared Axel would strangle me in my sleep if he had another episode or something.

"Of course." I promised.

"Good." He mumbled before burying himself further in to the sheets.

X.

I awoke several hours later wondering what time it was. Axel's arm had wrapped itself around mine and I struggled in attempt to free myself. No luck.

I could feel his breath on my face and I stopped to gaze at the older boy. I took in his perfect features, my eyes lingering on his soft lips. One kiss couldn't hurt, could it?

It most definitely could, my mind told me. I swallowed with anticipation and ignored the smarter half of my brain. He was asleep. He wouldn't even know, right?

I held my breath and courageously leaned forward until I could feel his lips against mine. And to my surprise, he started to kiss back.

I could feel his smile through the kiss and I smiled back. But before I could truly enjoy it, it ended. His eyes flew open and he jumped away from me. I opened my mouth to say something but he shook his head in disbelief.

Suddenly things were flying at me. He was picking random objects off the floor, not caring what they were, and chucking them. A book hit me squarely in the chest and a cup knocked in to my shoulder. I felt something sharp stab me under each eye.

Axel seemed to realized what was happening and dropped the objects in his hands, "I'm...Roxas, I'm sorry. This wasn't... _that_ wasn't supposed to happen!"

I swallowed and reached down to pick up the pair of scissors that had struck me. I tossed them on to the bed and backed towards the door.

"Maybe I should go home." I said to no one in particular.

He almost looked pain.

I nodded my head, reassuring myself, "I've been here too long. I've been around you too long."

He sighed and reached a hand to wipe away the blood under my eye, "I can't... not now... not here... give me time, okay? I promise you... in four years I'll find you... but only if you promise to let me."

Without thinking I nodded, "I promise."

I wasn't sure why or what I had just promised him. Hell, in four years... who knew if I'd even still remember him.

He handed me a black hoodie and I pulled it over my head. The overwhelming smell of Axel almost brought me to my knees.

Taking a deep breath, I turned and walked out the door, clicking it shut behind me. I couldn't bring myself to look back.

* * *

**Olette**

"It never left a scar?" I asked, pointing to his eyes.

His fingers unconsciously swept the once wounded area, "Nope."

"He promised to find you again? Does that mean he liked you as well? It seems like you barely knew him."

"I'll get to that in time." He promised, "And I knew him for about a month... but it only takes a second to fall in love."

"Love?" I laughed.

He smiled and rolled his eyes, "Okay, so I was twelve! It felt like love at that moment."

"Roxas!" A voice called from downstairs, "Olette! Come here!"

We rushed out of his room and down the steps in a hurry. Yuffie was next to the T.V., pushing the curtains out of the window, "Clouds' back!"

We peeked over her shoulder and saw that she wasn't kidding. Cloud was coming up the hill, stoic as ever.

"Where's Leon?" I asked curiously.

Yuffie shrugged, "Not here. He hasn't come back yet."

We scrambled away from the window, pretending to look busy as Cloud shifted through the front door.

"Cloud." Yuffie smiled, "You're back!"

He rolled his eyes, "I could see you at the window, Yuffie."

Her smile turned to a scowl and she muttered something under her breath.

"Where is Squall?" He asked, looking directly at Roxas.

The smaller blonde shrugged, "He took off too."

Cloud cursed and dropped the tip of his heavy sword to the floor. His feet stomped up the stairs and the bedroom door slammed closed. We all gasped as it shook the apartment.

Yuffie set her hands on her thin hips, "Oh quit being a baby, Cloud!"

The door creaked open and we watched as an angry blond head appeared at the top of the steps, "Shut it, Yuffie!"

She grinned, "Oh, you big ogre, settle down. Now please tell me you're coming back to school. I can't keep making excuses for you every time you have a hissy fit and run off."

His eyes narrowed, "Then stop."

She threw up her arms, "I can't! The teachers keep talking about how they want to check on the living conditions of your home."

He seemed unfazed, "I'm nineteen. They hardly have any control of where I live."

The ninja rolled her eyes, "You're not the one I'm worried about. May I remind you Roxas still lives here? And is still only seventeen? They're gunna take him away."

Cloud's intense look softened and his shoulders immediately sagged, "But he's almost eighteen! Only a month and a half left!"

Yuffie sighed, "They'd still try to do something. He isn't going to school. He's not living with his proper guardian."

Roxas flopped on to the couch, "What would they make me do?"

"Surely they wouldn't send him home, would they?" Cloud jumped down the rest of the steps, "He can't go home. Not to those guys."

Yuffie gave his arm a slight pat, "They wouldn't see the harm. His parents fed him, gave him a bed, and paid for his schooling. They won't understand why he left."

Roxas stood up, "Well, I'm not going back."

Cloud nodded his head, "I'll go to school then."

X.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to get all snazzed up and come to dinner with you and your family tonight?" Riku jumped up and sat on Yuffie's desk.

I rolled my eyes and continued typing, "Yes, Riku."

He swung his legs around until he was facing away, "Ugh... I hate parents, Olette."

"I know I know." I saved my paper and stood up from Yuffie's computer chair, "But I really need you to do this. Please?"

He gave an over dramatic sigh and groaned, "I guess."

"Thank you!" I hugged him around the stomach and hurried back to Yuffie's chair.

He chuckled softly and stretched, "What are you working on anyway?"

"Paper due next week for history."

His smile faded, "Next week?"

I nodded.

"And you're working on it now, why?"

I shrugged, "I want it done and out of the way."

He shook his head, "You scare me."

Yuffie entered her classroom and waved to us, "Hey guys."

We waved back.

There was a knock on the door. Riku and I glanced up, confused, and Yuffie glowered at the door, "You guys should leave."

I saved my work a final time and Riku and I hurried out of the room. The vice principal was waiting outside her door, looking very pissed off. We passed by him without a hello and scurried down the hallway.

"Wonder what's going on." Riku whispered as we turned a corner.

"Who knows. We'll ask her first period."

"So what should I wear tonight?" He changed the subject.

I shrugged, "Casual's fine."

He nodded quickly,"Sounds good."

X.

We entered Yuffie's room minutes before the bell for first period even rang. She was glaring at her computer screen and Cloud was sitting on her desk as Riku and I had earlier.

"What was that about?" Riku asked the ninja as he set his books on his desk.

She huffed, "Stupid school board! They want me fired!"

"Why?" I asked as I sat on my own desk.

"They say I'm too close to my students and spend more time joking than I do teaching." She rolled her eyes.

Cloud slid off her desk, "Who cares if you're getting fired. We all graduate this year, besides Olette, Tidus, and Selphie. We're moving to Hollow Bastion anyway, right?"

"You're moving?" Riku and I asked at the same time.

They glanced at each other and Yuffie brought a finger to her mouth, "Don't tell the others, it's not final."

"Where to?" Riku asked.

"Hollow Bastion." Cloud answered, "It still needs a lot of work and restoration, and Leon thinks we should help."

Riku started to say something, but the bell rang.

X.

"So what is this young man's name?" My mum asked as we waited in the living room.

"Riku Jou." I reminded her.

"And he's not a date?" My aunt looked disappointed.

"The furthest from it." I informed them.

The doorbell rang and I quickly answered it before my aunt could.

I hid my grin when Riku stepped through the door because I knew he would easily charm my parents.

"Everybody, this is Riku." I gestured to the taller silver haired boy and he flashed them one of his dazzling smiles. My aunt and mum nodded approvingly and my dad raised his eyebrows with appreciation.

"Riku, this is my mum, dad, and Aunt Jane."

"Nice to meet you." He smiled again and shook each of their hands. We all sat in silence as my parents simply stared at him. He glanced at me with an amused twinkle in his eye and I coughed, "So, uh, let's go then."

They snapped out of their daze and we began filing out of the house. The short walk through Twilight Town was made in jokes and laughter as Jane and Riku exchanged funny stories that had everybody cracking up. The food at the restaurant wasn't all that bad and Riku charmed my parents further by insisting on paying for his own food.

"So Riku, do you have a girlfriend then?" My aunt Jane asked.

Riku let out a small laugh as he shook his head, "Nope."

"Why not? You're such a handsome boy." She leaned on the table.

He shrugged, "Haven't found the right girl."

_'And never will',_ I thought to myself.

He seemed to read my thoughts and smiled at the hidden secret.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	9. Keep on Keepin on

**Warnings: boyxboy, cussing.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**It's been a little slow because I've been having these random ideas for another story come in to my head lately. I took the ideas and began writing a second story. I now have a chapter and a half done for it. But I'm trying to decide whether or not I should begin posting it or if I should just wait to finish this story first. What do you think? Maybe I should just wait.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Keep on Keepin on**

_Keep on keepin on  
When u get your chance to shine  
Don't worry  
There will come a time  
You got to keep on keepin on  
You got to keep your head up high  
You got to work with what u got  
And some day you will fly_

* * *

**Roxas**

"Roxas?"

I smiled at the voice I missed so much, "Yup."

"Oh my god!" The brunette slid off the couch and tackled me to the ground in a brother's embrace, "Oh my god!"

I chuckled slightly, hugging my look-alike back, "I really missed you too."

"Where'd you go?" He suddenly climbed off me.

"You really wanna know?" I teased.

He nodded his head vigorously and sat on the couch, "Yeah!"

I laughed and sat up, "I actually went to Traverse Town."

His eyes widened, "Really? All the way up there? Was it scary?"

"Oh yes... it was very scarey. Did you know it's always dark there?"

"Always?" Sora leaned forward.

"Always." I confirmed.

"Wow." He sat back, awestruck.

"Yup, the sun never shines."

"And people _live_ there?" He scratched his head.

I smiled sadly at the thought of my friends, "Yeah, they do."

We sat in silence, which was unusual, and Sora shifted, "I can't believe you actually left. And for almost a month too!"

"Did Mum and Dad say anything?" I almost hoped.

"Not really. But they were really quiet all the time. They've barely said a word to me at all." He didn't seem all that disappointed.

Could Mum really have been worried? Well, if so, she'll never admit it.

"What happened to you?" My brother suddenly reached forward to touch the little cuts under my eyes.

I shrugged, "Left Traverse Town on a bad note with one of my friends."

"What'd you do?" He smiled.

I shrugged, "Nothing important."

Thankfully, he dropped the subject, "Things sucked here without you, you know."

The smile, that I had also missed, dropped off my brother's face and he turned away.

"I didn't know if you'd ever come back."

I reached out a hand and placed it on his small shoulder, rubbing smoothing circles.

"Don't worry Sora. I'm never going to leave like that again. At least... not until you have somebody else to watch out for you." I winked at him and he laughed.

"Promise?" He sat up.

"Promise." I smiled.

X.

Dinner was a tad bit awkward at first. My parents had simply stared at me as I walked in to the kitchen, neither eating nor talking.

"You're back?" Dad asked, dumbstruck.

I nodded and sat at the table. Sora hurried to grab me a plate and my parents snapped out of their daze. Mum turned to Sora and asked him about his day, as if to remind us all who was still number one. I smiled politely and ignored it. I was over that life anyway.

After dinner I sat outside on the porch, relaxing with my eyes closed. I was beginning to remember how much I loved the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves hitting the shore. It was so calming.

"Hey."

I peeked open an eye and spotted Cloud at the bottom of the steps.

"Hey." I said back.

He shifted awkwardly and pushed his hands in to his pockets, "Where'd you go?"

"Traverse Town."

He nodded.

"Was it scary? Leaving?"

"A little." I admitted.

He nodded again, "Well, I'm glad you're back."

"Me too." I agreed.

X.

"You can't just forget him, Roxas." Namine sat on my bed, her hands folded in her lap and his legs dangling over the side.

Her scent filled my head and for a moment I was reminded of Traverse Town, "Why not?"

She tilted her head and examined me, "Memories aren't made to be forgotten."

"I just want him out of my head." I sighed.

She smiled and rubbed my arm, "Maybe you love him?"

"What the fuck Namine? How could you possibly even think that?"

She looked ashamed of herself for a second, and then turned to me, "You're right, I'm sorry. It's not love. I never should have suggested such a silly thing." She began rubbing my arm again and I immediately felt guilty.

I couldn't bring myself to apologize though.

"Are you ever going to come back?" She looked hopeful, "To visit Aerith and Demyx?"

Aerith. Demyx. I had grown attached to them in my short time in the other city. And I had thought that once I saw Sora's smiling face again, Demyx's would fade away; I was wrong.

"Probably not." I spoke truthfully.

Her face saddened and she looked out the window, "They both really miss you."

"Well then they can come visit _me_." I crossed my arms.

Her eyes lit up and I think she took me seriously.

"Anyway, before I forget." She reached behind her and pulled out her book bag. The zipper was pulled open and she dumped all the contents on to my bed, "Here's all your homework you missed."

I groaned and smacked my head, "You're kidding me."

"Nope." She smiled, "Want help?"

We set to work on my homework and only made it about 3/4 of the way in the next few hours. The sunset was beginning to fade and Namine glanced out the window, "I should probably get going. See ya Roxas!"

She waved goodbye and left the room. I pushed all my finished homework in to a pile and glared at the stuff that still needed to be done. Damn school.

"Roxas?" Sora let himself in to the room. I grunted and straightened my piles a little more.

My brunette twin plopped on to my bed with a dazed look on his face and I let out a throaty cry as my piles fused together.

_No!_

He ignored the look of disbelief on my face and stared at the ceiling, curling a brown lock around his finger.

"What do you think of gay people?" He asked, pondering.

"I don't know, Sora. Why? Are you gay?" I mumbled as I tried to rearrange my piles again.

"No, not me. But I have this friend who is."

_Must be Riku._

"And well... he told me this afternoon."

"So?" I asked, becoming irritated.

"Is it right? You know, being gay?"

"I don't see why not."

He sighed and turned to face me, "What do you think of gay people?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. They're just _people_. Like you and I."

Sora nodded and turned away, "Still seems weird."

"If you say so." I examined my homework, now seperated again. Sora rolled dangerously to his other side and I quickly moved the papers before damage could be done.

"Do you ever think you might be gay?" He stared at me seriously. My answer was hesitated because I had never seen such a serious look cross my brother's face.

"Well, uh..." I blinked a couple times.

He looked at me expectantly.

I decided on an answer that neither admitted nor denied, "Sora, I'm twelve. I hardly know anything about myself yet."

He accepted this answer and agreed, "Yeah, you're right."

"So..." I began. My brother's quietness frightened me. He never sat this quiet. "What are you thinking now?"

He seemed to be distracted and stared off a moment before turning to me, "Huh?"

"What are you thinking?" I repeated.

His features crossed and he thought deeply, "I'm thinking... that there's more to you than even I know."

My head shot up at that and I stared intently at him, "What?"

"Nothing, Roxas."

My mind raced over the different possibilities of what he could possibly have meant. Did he know I was gay? Had Riku told him? Doubtful.

X.

"Sora?"

Nothing.

"Sora, come on!"

Still nothing.

"What the fuck?" I muttered, suddenly wondering when I had gotten so used to cussing.

"SORA!"

"What are you hollering about?" Namine came in through the front door.

"I've been waiting for Sora to come down for like fifteen minutes! We're gunna be late for school!"

She looked confused at first, "What?"

Usually Sora was the first one up. He only needed about five hours of sleep to start his energetic day.

"He's still up there!" I sank on to a stool at the counter.

She quietly slipped passed me and up the stairs. I couldn't hear what she was doing, but I figured she was searching Sora's room.

"He's not here." She spoke from behind me. I jumped.

"Huh?"

She shrugged, "He must have already left. Probably went early with Riku or something."

"But Sora and I always walk to school together." I protested.

She pulled me towards the door, "Well, I don't know then, Roxas. But let's go before we're late. I don't need another lecture from Aerith."

I nodded and followed her on to the porch. A flash of silver blinded us momentarily as Riku whirled around, "Finally-" He peeked around us and stared at the empty space behind us, "Where's Sora?"

"We thought he was with you." I narrowed my eyes, confused. _Where is he?_

Riku shook his head, "No, I haven't talked to him since..." His eyes glanced to the side, "Well, last night."

"He's probably at school." Namine suggested.

Riku glanced at the house a final time, "Well we better hurry. First period starts in fifteen minutes." We took off at a run towards Twilight Town.

The doors slammed open and as we hurried through. First bell was in the process of ringing and we completely skipped our lockers and went right to class.

"Where were you this morning?" Cloud asked from the desk behind me.

I leaned back and whispered over my shoulder, "Couldn't find Sora."

"I saw him with Kairi this morning. Out on the beach." Cloud replied.

"What?" I looked over my shoulder and Namine leaned in from her desk as well.

"I don't know. Him and Kairi were sitting on the docks."

I looked to Namine and she shrugged.

"Did he seem upset?"

"I couldn't tell." He coughed as Namine's mum glanced at us from the corner of her eye. We all sat up in our seats and tried to look innocent.

She continued with whatever she was talking about and turned towards the board.

X.

"You!" I growled and nearly tripped in the sand as I roughly grabbed Riku by the collar.

Yanking said boy closer, I glared at him, "What the hell did you do?"

Riku's eye narrowed dangerously and he pushed me off him, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sora! I'm talking about Sora! What happened? He's avoiding me. Did you hit on him or something? Because I know he's avoiding you too. Did you tell him about what we did?"

Riku crossed his arms, "I didn't do anything but tell him about me being gay." He stepped away, "I never mentioned anything about you."

I growled, frustrated, and ran a hand through my hair, "Why's he ignoring _me_?"

The silver headed boy shook his head, "No clue."

"Because he's going through a homophobic stage right now, you idiots." Kairi answered from behind us. We both turned to look at her, shocked.

"Huh?" Riku's eyes grew wide.

She giggled, "Oh come on, Riku. The kid's twelve and extremely naive. You kind of just sprung your info on him. He's a little scared right now."

"Scared? He's afraid of me?" Riku sat in the sand again, letting the waves brush his feet.

Kairi sighed, "Riku, give him time. Let it sink in a little."

I swallowed, "What about me? Why's he ignoring me?"

She bit her lip, "Well, you see, that's the funny thing. Sora thinks you have a thing with Riku."

My jaw dropped.

"WHAT?"

She shrugged, "I don't know."

"Awesome." I muttered sarcastically as I sat next to Riku.

Kairi brushed her hair out of her face and began backing away, "Don't stay out too long, guys. I sense a storm coming."

We nodded simultaneously and she reached forward to softly yank a lock of Riku's hair before she left us.

"I can't believe my best friend is afraid of me." Riku placed his head in his hands and inhaled deeply.

"It'll pass." I reminded him quietly. "I can't believe he thinks you and I have a _thing_."

He snorted with laughter, "That's kind of funny actually."

I rolled my eyes and left him sitting in the sand so I could return to my house. The sky was growing darker as storm clouds moved in and I didn't want to be caught in it. The house was silent as I entered. Mum and Dad were probably still working and if Sora was home, he was still ignoring me.

_Does he really have that big of a deal about me possibly being gay?_

_X._

"Roxas!"

"Wha?" I groaned tiredly.

The bed dipped and I rolled away.

"Seriously Roxas."

"I said 'what?'"

The bed dipped a little further as the trespasser leaned closer, "Do I have your attention?"

"Yes!" I growled and hid under my pillow.

The pillow was snatched away from me and suddenly I was thrown off the bed.

"Holy fuck!" I shouted as I hit the floor. I tripped over the other on my way off the bed and they fell on top of me. I finally opened my eyes to find myself in a tangle with none other than Riku.

"Riku... what the fuck?" I snarled.

He groaned and rubbed his forehead, which I'm guessing is where he hit the floor, "Ow."

The door swung open and Sora casually looked in, "Roxas, what are you-" He glanced between his best friend and me before backing out, "Oh... uh, sorry." The door shut behind him.

"Crap." Riku closed his eyes for a brief moment, "This sure as hell couldn't have looked innocent."

"Huh?" I pushed him off me and brushed my pants off.

Riku continued to lay in a heap on the floor, "Roxas... he thinks we're both gay. He doesn't like that. He walked in and found me practically on top of you. He's probably really freaked out now."

"Well, who's fault is that?" I gave him an accusing look and he bit his lip.

"What did you need, anyway?"

Riku finally stood and brushed himself off as well, "I was coming to tell you it's getting worse. Yesterday I ran in to him at school and he nearly bit my hand off when I touched his arm."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Fantastic! I have a homophobic twin! My teenage, gay, hormonal years will be a _blast_!"

Riku let a slight grin twist his features before sighing, "You think he'll get over this, right?"

I shrugged, "Who knows."

"Anyway... sorry about that." Riku apologized softly and left through the window.

I closed it behind him and took a deep breath before going downstairs.

Sora was sitting at the counter, slowly munching on a bowl of cereal.

We locked eyes for a brief moment before Sora turned his face down.

"Sora. Stop ignoring me." I set my hands on my hips and watched him from across the kitchen.

The brunette rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

The gesture put me in shock. Sora was never cross with me.

"What'd I do?"

He dropped his spoon on to the counter and looked at me, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What are you talking about?"

He played with his cereal a little before leaning on the counter top, "Kairi saw you and Riku that one morning. She told me about it the other day. At first I didn't believe it but then Riku comes along and tells me he's gay. Why didn't you tell me you were too?"

I stared at him in shock, "I, uh..."

He emptied his bowl in to the sink, "I mean it's me Sora. You've always trusted me with everything before. Why not now?"

"I'm sorry." I whispered. I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So is Riku like your boyfriend or something?"

My eyes widened, "What? No!"

"Then why were you kissing?" He asked, sitting back on his stool.

"I'm not sure." I admitted.

He shook his head, "Was he your first kiss? I mean, with a guy?"

I nodded.

"Was he your last?"

I bit my lip, a guilty expression written all over my face.

His eyes narrowed, "Who else? Cloud?"

I shook my head.

"Who?"

"You don't know him."

"Why? Is he a seventh grader? An eighth grader?" Sora was beginning to seem less mad and more curious.

"Um... no."

His head tilted slightly.

"I'm not exactly sure how old he is. Sixteen, maybe." I confessed, "I met him in Traverse Town."

"Name?"

I sighed, "Axel."

"You love him?"

"I barely know him."

"So?" Sora shifted.

"Why are you so interested?" I asked.

He sighed, "I'm just trying to understand."

We sat in silence.

"What's he like?" Sora suddenly asked.

I groaned, "Sora, I'm kinda trying to forget him. You're not really helping."

"Sorry." The brunette looked down at his shoes.

"Besides... like I said, I barely know him. In fact, I can't tell you about him because I know absolutely _nothing_ about him."

X.

Months passed and Sora sort of accepted Riku's and my sexuality. Things were still kind of awkward between my brother and his best friend though. Sora wouldn't allow the boy to get too close to him and I think it really hurt Riku. Kairi acted as a barrier between them, calming both of them down when Sora would complain Riku had purposely touched his leg or brushed his hand. It was really weird that Sora was throwing such a fit over this. He was so open, so accepting. He never judged and he certainly never discriminated. What was wrong with him?

"Hey Roxas." Namine smiled and lay next to me in the sand.

I smiled in reply.

"Aerith sends her love." She giggled and I continued to smile.

We layed side by side, our arms and legs spread out as if we were about to make sand angels. It was often the way Sora, Riku, and Kairi used to lay.

"Namine?" I whispered.

"Hm?" She didn't look at me, just stared at the sky.

"Would you call us best friends?" I asked.

She smiled and turned her head to the side to see me, "Of course."

I met her smile with one of my own and grabbed her hand, "Good, me too."

--

I opened my eyes and stared at the stars above me. The sky was completely dark and a chilly breeze had picked up. Namine lay curled in my side, sleeping soundly. I carefully slid away from her and looked around. Every light in every house was out and I wondered about the time. It had to be late.

My blond friend shivered at the loss of warmth and I scooted closer again. She snuggled up to my side and I sat there, still incoherent.

Finally I remembered that the girl had told me earlier she was to be home before dark. I cursed under my breath and leaned over to scoop her up. Carrying her bridal style, I made my way up the beach.

"A little late, ain't it?" Cloud spoke from the darkness. Sometimes he could really creep someone out.

"We fell asleep." I began heading towards town and Cloud followed silently at my side.

"She seems really tired lately." Cloud pointed out, gesturing to the girl in my arms.

"I know."

We entered the station quickly and I was relieved to see a train already stationed and ready. The doors slid open for us and I lay Namine across the seat and sat across from her, Cloud simply standing at my side.

"Where does she live?" He asked quietly.

"Traverse Town."

He nodded his head and we both stared at the girl.

I could feel my mind starting to drift back to sleep and my head began falling to the side. It hit something soft, most likely Cloud's leg, and I completely blacked out.

I was awoken when Cloud nudged my shoulder and blinking, I began to take in the dinging of the bell signalling the open doors. Cloud softly pulled me to my feet and easily lifted Namine in to his arms.

I trudged up the hill towards the eery gates that stood between us and Namine's house. Cloud examined the dark gates with interest, not hesitating to follow me through.

Several times Namine spoke in her sleep, whispering little things that didn't make sense.

"Show me where to go." Cloud spoke softly behind me. I nodded and led the way through the first district. We passed several groups of people huddled together, watching us cautiously from their circle. I wouldn't look any of them in the eye, afraid of the possibility that it'd belong to Demyx or Axel.

We entered the second district and I gasped as I thought I saw red from the corner of my eye. But no, I was just seeing things. Axel and the others would surely be asleep by now anyhow.

I shivered and hugged myself as we carefully made our way down the dark steps into the courtyard. Cat-like eyes stared at me from the alley way and I blinked as I caught Zexion's frame in the overhead light. He stared at me without moving, making me slightly uncomfortable.

"Know him?" Cloud's asked.

"Not really."

We quickly pushed through the doors to the third district. The golden memorial of two dogs lit up this area of town with a memorizing glow. We climbed the stone steps in a daze and I found the familiar building that opened up in to a another courtyard. This one small and hidden. I stopped as I realized there were several people standing in front of the door to Namine's house.

They heard our footsteps and stilled. I glanced back at Cloud and cautiously inched forward. One of the shadows leaped across the ground and sent a good kick to my gut. Coughing, I hit the ground with a slight 'oof'.

Another shadow joined the first and I saw Cloud swiftly and gingerly set Namine down as he and one of the attackers sized each other up.

"Guys! Stop it!" A quiet voice called out in the dark. My eyes widened when I recognized Aerith's form.

The one who had kicked me backed off slightly, but the other lunged for Cloud, sending them both to the ground. I was helped to my feet by Aerith and she brush me off, "Roxas! I'm so sorry!"

My attention wavered as I heard Cloud let out a low growl.

"Leon!" Aerith pleaded, "Let the boy go!"

The kicker ran to break them up and I followed behind. I quickly grabbed Cloud's arm and yanked him back towards me. His fists were still clenched and he was glaring at the other with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Roxas, what are you doing here?" Aerith's dark form asked me.

I turned to pick up a still-sleeping Namine and moved toward the light. Aerith gasped, "Namine! Oh my gosh, I was getting so worried! Quick, come in!"

The door was opened and everyone filed inside. Someone turned the living room light on and we all shielded our eyes.

"Jeez, Aerith! Some warning next time!" I turned to examine the source of the voice. It was a fairly tall girl with short black hair and a green bandanna. She glanced curiously at me and Cloud before offering a smile. The other shadow had taken the form of a tall brunette kid, who couldn't be older than fifteen, with a deep scar and an even deeper scowl plastered to his face. He was still glaring vehemently at my friend.

Aerith watched the exchange with a worried look, "Squall, could you take Namine to the back room please?"

The brunette's gaze softened and he easily took the blond from my arms, disappearing down the hallway.

"I'm so sorry you guys." Aerith apologized.

The short haired one nodded, "Yeah, sorry about that! But somebody has to protect this place! God knows Aerith would let anyone stomp all over her. I'm Yuffie and this is Squ-, I mean Leon!" She gestured to the returning brunette.

I introduced myself and then Cloud. Yuffie winked at Cloud and I smiled at the pink lighting up his face.

"Yuffie." The scowling brunette warned.

She faked innocence, "What? Just trying to have a bit of fun."

He rolled his eyes and turned away.

Aerith put on her mother hen look, "Why is she getting back so late?"

I put up my arms in defense, "We just fell asleep on the beach. I didn't mean for it to get so late."

She sighed, rubbing her temples, "She can't come home this late, okay?"

"Why?" I asked.

Leon gave me a stupid look, "Cause the city ain't safe at this time of night, you idiot."

Cloud flashed him a warning look and angrily took a step forward. The brunette returned the look and both growled.

"Boys." Yuffie rolled her eyes and plopped on to the couch. Aerith did the same, except in a more graceful way. The boys retreated against opposite walls and sat with their arms crossed, glaring daggers at each other.

"Man, I'm tired." I muttered and yawned.

Yuffie let out an 'aww' and the last thing I heard was the girls fawning over me like women always did with things considered 'cute' and 'small'.

X.

"Roxas, come on, get up!" I instantly recognized the voice as Kairi's.

"What?" I growled, becoming irritated that no one could ever just let me sleep.

"You have to get up." I opened my eyes groggily and noticed I was in Cloud's room.

The blond was sleeping behind me. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest.

Kairi gave me a strange look, "Why are you and Cloud sleeping in the same bed?"

"Ugh, Kairi. Don't even start making accusations."

She giggled for a moment and then went serious, "You need to get up though."

"Why?"

"Namine is sick. Her mother called me. She tried calling you but couldn't get a hold of you." She absentmindedly played with Cloud's hair, smiling as he nuzzled his pillow sleepily.

"Does she have a cold or something?" I yawned and stretched.

She shrugged, "I don't know. But something serious must be going on if she's calling us."

I nodded and rummaged through Cloud's clothes, searching for something that would fit me.

Finally I pulled out a pair a jeans and and simple t-shirt, jogging to the bathroom to change.

I met Kairi at the bottom of the steps and we bolted out the door real fast.

_What could be so wrong with Namine that her mother would call us?_

"This place is spookey." Kairi shivered as we jogged through the districts of Traverse Town.

I nodded but didn't answer.

Yuffie was blocking the door to the small courtyard.

"What happened?" I asked her as we slid to a stop in front of her.

She shook her head, "We don't know. She's not waking up. They're thinking about taking her to the hospital."

"But the nearest hospital is all the way in Radiant Garden!" Kairi brought a hand to her mouth.

Yuffie nodded, "Yeah. But why don't you go inside, Aerith's waiting for you."

I numbly led Kairi through the courtyard and in to the house.

_Something's wrong with Namine. Something's wrong with Namine._

Those words repeated themselves in my head over and over. I felt a queasiness in the pit of my stomach.

We ran in to Leon at the door to Namine and Aerith's room. He hardly glanced at us as his focus remained on the blond girl lying on the bed.

Aerith stood as we entered.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Kairi sat on the bed and rubbed the blond girl's arm.

Leon shifted behind me, "She's not waking up. She's breathing and everything, she's just not opening her eyes."

Namine turned and groaned. Aerith rubbed her hands together nervously, "We're taking her to the hospital."

"How are you getting her there?" I asked, confused. They had no car. Nobody around here had vehicles. I didn't know where Radiant Garden was, but apparently it was very far away.

"By foot for now." Aerith sat on Namine's other side, stroking her sister's face.

Mrs. Gainsborough rushed in, "I've secured a boat from Atlantica, down by the river."

Kairi whimpered, "But that's so far away."

They began wrapping the sick girl up in a blanket, pausing as she coughed.

Leon leaned over and scooped the girl up bridal style, as I did the night before, "I'll have to carry her."

Aerith and her mother picked up the bags and supplies needed for the trip. Everyone left the house, following Leon.

"Don't think you're going without me." Yuffie piped up as she saw us leave the courtyard.

"Same here." I said from behind.

Aerith shook her head, "No, Roxas. You and your friend need to go home. We'll call you from the hospital."

"But-" I began. She reached over and ruffled my spikes, "We can't afford to take you guys too. Trust me, you'll be making this trip a lot easier by staying behind. Promise me?"

"Promise." I muttered. I sure was making a lot of promises lately.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	10. Life on Standby

**Chapter nine is done!**

**And I've decided that as soon as I find a title and summary and stuff, I'll post my other fic. Lol I've also got another idea for a story in my head, but I'm not writing anything for it until I finished one of my two stories.**

**Also, I want you to know that this story is probably going to be very long. Lots of chapters. I haven't even gotten in to the actual Axel/Roxas area of the story yet.**

**Mmkay, well I should stop talking and just post this chapter now. And by the way, I played KH II the other day and practically cried as I had to defeat Demyx. It nearly broke my heart. He's so adorable!**

**Anywho, on to the story! Reviews are loved!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Especially Zexion :-(**

**Warning: Death. Could be some cussing.**

* * *

**_CHAPTER 9  
Life on Standby_**

**It's over and she's gone,  
****The distance and my hearts to sand,  
****Flowing through the hour glass,  
I fall to pieces, I can't let go  
Of all the times I never said goodbye.**

Two weeks. Two frick'n weeks! I was beginning to pull my hair out in frustration. Two weeks was a long time.

And Aerith had yet to call.

I knew Kairi was just as worked up as I was. She wasn't eating lunch lately either.

"Come on, Roxas." Sora stood in the doorway, giving me his best puppy face, "Please eat something."

"Not hungry." I mumbled. And I wasn't. Since they took Namine away, I couldn't find the strength to eat. Anything could be happening to her!

"Please." He gave a final attempt.

I rolled over on to my other side, showing him my back, and left him to sigh before walking away.

Just how sick was Nam? Had she been sick for a while or was it only sudden? I clearly recalled her skipping lunch for a few weeks now. Was she anorexic or did she have another sickness that took away her appetite? But most of all, was she getting better?

"Roxas!" I could hear Sora pounding up the steps. What now?

"ROXAS!" The door flew open and slammed against the wall, knocking down a picture.

"Oops... sorry."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't look, "What is it?"

"The phone's for you. I'm not sure who it is, but it's male and it's not Cloud. He's actually kind of rude-"

"Leon!" I tumbled out of bed and ripped the phone from Sora's fingers, "Hello?"

"Uh... Roxas?" Yep, that was Leon.

"Yeah?" I was breathing heavy, excitement lighting up every part of my body.

"She's getting worse."

My shoulders sagged. I couldn't breath anymore, "Wha... what?"

He sighed and I pictured him rubbing his temples, "They can't fix her."

I nearly dropped the phone, "Oh." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Aerith would like you and Kairi to come see her. You know... in case she doesn't make it."

I tried to swallow but a lump had formed in my throat, "I don't know how to get there."

"I'm coming to get you."

_Click_.

This time I really did drop the phone. It hit the floor with a loud clanging nose and my mother yelled my name angrily. I could barely hear her.

Namine might not make it.

I sank slowly to my knees and Sora ran to my side. I think he picked up the phone at one point and called Cloud because he too was soon by my side.

"Roxas." The blond was whispering in my ear, trying to get me to respond. I nodded numbly and turned to look at him.

"Namine might not make it. They can't fix her."

Leon's words rang in my head over and over. What did he mean, 'they can't fix her'? What was there to fix?

Cloud hugged me and I truly wondered what I looked like at this moment that would push him to do such an act. Hugging made him uncomfortable, no matter the circumstances.

"I'm going to see her." I finally spoke. Both Cloud and Sora stared at me for a moment before Cloud grunted, "Well, I'll grab some things for you, then I'm gunna head home and grab mine. After that, I'll get Kairi."

"W-what?" I looked up.

Cloud shrugged, "I'm coming with."

I felt a small surge of happiness. Cloud would do that for me?

"Thanks." I mumbled.

Cloud nodded and pulled me to my feet. I couldn't stand by myself, so Cloud half carried me to my bed and lay me on it, "Sleep for now, okay? I'll go get Kairi."

I nodded and saw Sora from the corner of my eye. I had forgotten he was still here.

"I'm coming too." The brunette stepped in front of Cloud.

The blond shook his head, "No."

"What? B-but why?"

Cloud stepped around him with ease.

"Please Cloud?" The brunette grabbed Cloud's shirt.

"Sora." I whispered. My voice was hoarse, "Mum will never let you go anyway."

Sora's face fell and he pouted.

"Sorry." I apologized.

The brunette growled, "I'm not going to be left behind forever you know!"

Cloud grinned a little before leaving the room completely.

X.

When I woke up, there was a small bag stocked full next to my bed. I glanced at the digital clock. I had slept for seventeen hours!

I sat up and jumped when I found Kairi laying at the end, by my feet. She shifted slightly, mumbling in her sleep.

I carefully woke her, smiling sadly when her eyes blinked open and she stretched.

"Are we leaving?" She yawned.

I shrugged, "I think so."

We both grabbed our bags and left the room. Cloud was sitting in the hall, glaring over at Leon, who leaned against the wall with his legs crossed.

"Leon... how'd you know where I lived?" I couldn't help but wonder.

He grunted, "I didn't. Blondie here found me."

Cloud gritted his teeth and sent another slicing glare at the brunette. Leon narrowed his eyes and they developed a weird staring contest.

"Guys? Can we just go? I want to see Namine!" Kairi hissed, pushing past both of them, towards the stairs.

--

After making it to Traverse Town, I was all ready becoming tired. The weight of Namine's possible fate was pushing me down. I wanted so bad to just curl up in a ball and cry, but I knew I'd never see Nam that way.

We walked until night fall, and even then we only made it to the seventh district of Traverse Town.

"I didn't know Traverse Town was this big." Kairi mused aloud.

Leon continued on, "It has sixteen districts in all. But the first three are the safest. A lot of strange people live in the further districts. Don't ever enter here alone."

I stumbled over my own feet and Cloud caught me before I could hit the ground, "We should rest for a while. Roxas is starting to get tired."

Leon glanced back and examined me before sighing, "Tired? He just slept fow how-" Cloud's eyes narrowed at the older boy and he sighed, "All right. Let's find a place to stay."

He led us through a small alleyway before tapping on a back door. A girl with long black hair peeked out, "Yes?"

"Tifa... it's Squall."

"Squall?" She opened the door wider and smiled, "Oh my! Squall!"

Leon smiled and nodded, "Think you could find room for four?"

Tifa looked over her shoulder, back into the room, "Sure, but be quiet! Cid is asleep."

We tiptoed through a bar and down a set of stairs. Tifa threw us a couple ratty blankets before backing away, "I'm afraid this is all I can provide."

Leon shook his head, "This is perfect, thanks."

She smiled and waved before running back up the steps.

"So who was that?" Kairi asked as we settled on the floor. It was cold.

Leon threw us both a blanket, "That's Tifa. We used to live in foster care together."

"Forster care?" I asked, "Were you homeless or something?"

Leon shrugged, "Yeah. But when we turned eleven we got moved in to different homes. I was sent to a seperate foster care, next to the Gainsborough's, along with Yuffie. Tifa was sent here, to live with Cid."

"How old are you?" Kairi asked sleepily.

"Fifteen."

"I can't believe there are homeless kids here." She shook her head.

Leon snorted, "This whole city is made up of homeless kids. The place is just... _dirty_. There's a lot of strange people living here. A lot of... different people."

Kairi yawned and I encouraged her to sleep. She curled up in to the blanket, "How much further do we have to go?"

Leon shrugged, "Well, it's probably about another half hour on foot until we reach Atlantica. From there, a ferry will bring us to Radiant Garden."

She nodded, eyes closed, and drifted off to sleep. I too could feel sleep coming on.

My eyes met Cloud's across the room and he nodded, encouraging me to rest. I sighed and closed my eyes.

X.

"Rox, let's go." Kairi shook me gently. I opened my eyes and sat up. She handed me my bag and then helped me to my feet.

"Cloud and Leon are waiting outside." She jogged up the steps, leaving me blinking in the dark. I threw my bag over my shoulder and quickly followed. The bar was bustling with breakfast and nobody noticed me as I snuck out.

The alley was small and I found my way out easily. My companions were waiting in silence, standing apart. Grunting, to gain there attention, I began heading forward. Leon fell to the front and led us down the street.

The rest of the walk was made quickly and silently.

I thought of the island.

The soft sand. The crystal clear water. Swaying palm trees, and my easily amused twin watching them with interest. I wanted to go home and I wanted Namine to come with me. I wanted everything to be perfect. I even wanted my parents there; except maybe with a little more care for me. I wanted Sora there, with his stupid grin of course, and Riku with his own handsome smirk. Kairi and Selphie would probably be giggling like mad over something that I didn't understand, it's a girl thing, and Tidus and Wakka would be playing blitzball. Everything would be perfect.

"We're here." Leon grunted.

I looked up. We were standing about half a mile from a small city; 'Atlantica' written across the gates. Leon pointed to the right of it, "See that port there? That's where the boat is."

Kairi nodded, "Almost there. Let's go." She yanked on Leon's jacket sleeve, pulling him forward. He responded with a slight grin and started down the hill toward the city of Atlantica.

I followed the two of them, glancing back at my blond companion. Cloud was trailing a few feet behind us, his eyes resting on Leon's back. He seemed to notice my staring and looked up at me.

"Thanks for coming." I whispered softly.

The blonde's lips twitched slightly, a grinning appearing then disappearing.

X.

"Boys! Kairi!" Aerith placed a hand to her chest, her eyes red and brimming with tears, "You're here."

Kairi dropped her bag and ran to clasp hands with the older girl, "Of course we're here."

I watched the exchange with sadness. Where was Namine?

Yuffie appeared behind me, settling a careful hand on my shoulder, "Come on kid. I'll show you to Nam."

I nodded and followed her stiffly down the hall. The hospital was quiet, despite the random beeping coming from within the rooms. Everybody walking around was like a zombie, staring off at nothing.

"Here she is." The ninja held open a door for me. I slipped in and gasped as I saw my blond friend.

She was laying in a white bed, sleeping. She looked paler than usual, her body looking completely washed out.

"Namine?" I whispered.

A tired eye opened momentarily, "Hey Rox."

I smiled, tears forming in my eyes. Here was my best friend. My quiet, artistic, beautiful best friend. She never did anything selfish or rude. And certainly never did anything to produce anger from anyone. I wanted her to live and come home. I wanted it more than anything.

"So what's wrong with her?" I found myself asking aloud.

Yuffie shifted from her chair in the corner of the room. Her face creased for a moment before she tapped her chin with one long finger, "I'm not exactly sure. Something about cancer in the pancreas. I don't know. It's rare and deadly apparently."

I sighed and reached out to grab Namine's hand.

"You guys made it right in time." Yuffie informed me as she stood to leave, "They don't think she's going to last the night."

I grimaced and stared down at the paling girl. Her eyes were lined in a sickly brown, causing her to nearly look dead all ready.

Kairi suddenly appeared in the doorway and cried. Her sobs shook her shoulders and she shuffled to stand next to me.

I watched the tears slide down her face and the pink spread across his distressed features. Death was something I had never experienced before, but I wasn't sure which was worse: knowing that someone was about to die, or watching those that love them know it as well.

"I don't get it," I began as Namine's family entered the room, "She was fine a couple weeks ago... how is she suddenly dying?"

Her mum stared out the window, glancing at her daughter every few seconds, "They say the cancer has been circulating for a while now. Years even."

"Years?" I gasped.

I had known the blond for about six months, and never once would I have guessed she was sick.

"Excuse me." A nurse poked her head in the door, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over and it's family only now."

We all nodded weakly and stood, except the Gainsboroughs. Kairi gave Namine's hands a final squeeze before ushering out of the room. Yuffie did the same and then I stepped up to the bed. I didn't want to leave her.

"Goodbye Nam." I whispered, reaching out to touch her wrist. The blond stirred but didn't open her eyes. She took deep breaths often, as if every moment was a strain for her.

I smiled numbly and left, gripping her wrist almost painfully before leaving.

"Where do we go?" Yuffie asked, her eyes puffy.

Leon, who seemed stiffer, shrugged, "I'm not sure. Surely there's somewhere we can stay?"

Cloud entered the hallway, "There's a hotel down the street. Maybe they have cheap enough prices."

Leon eyed the blond warily before agreeing, "All right, let's go."

Nobody spoke the whole way there. We all seemed to be thinking deeply. The man at the front desk offered us a cheap but comfy room at a very reasonable price. It had only one bed, but nobody protested as Kairi, Yuffie, and I settled on to it sleepily.

My body still felt numb; even sleep wouldn't hinder my thoughts from returning to Nam, dying down the street. At one point during the night Kairi let out a choked sob in her sleep and I rubbed her back soothingly.

The next morning was cloudy and dreary. The perfect setting for an absolutely horrible day. Aerith called at eight to inform us Namine hadn't made it through the night; passing on at exactly four thirty. This news brought more tears to the girl's eyes and I sat on the edge of the hotel bed, neither moving nor talking.

Cloud shifted in and out of the room repeatedly throughout the day. I knew he must have felt extremely awkward witnessing such pain from his friends, because he himself barely knew Namine. Leon was tired and extremely melancholic, but refused to let that stop him from becoming the father of the situation. He brought us food, tucked us in to bed, and even wiped a few tears from Kairi's eyes. He seemed older than fifteen.

"When are we heading back?" Kairi asked quietly from the bed.

Leon handed us each a sandwich, his eyes glancing at the young girl swiftly before settling back on each of our faces, "Whenever you're ready."

Kairi nodded, taking a bite from her ham and butter sandwich. Yuffie cracked her neck and ate hers as well, "I don't want to make the trip home."

Kairi agreed and Leon sighed, "We can't stay here forever."

Cloud slid through the door for the eighth time that day, "Let's head back tomorrow, before we get too comfortable here."

Leon stared at the blond with slight annoyance, then murmered his reluctant agreement and turning away.

X.

"Kairi, can you walk anymore?" Cloud voice asked from behind us.

The brunette mumbled tiredly and was nearly falling asleep on her feet.

"Here." Cloud picked her up bridal style and began carrying her.

We had decided to take the trip in one go. No stopping to sleep and no resting. I was more than eager to get home anyway. To sleep in my own bed.

I barely even registered entering Traverse Town and stumbling through thirteen districts.

"Are you sure you can get them home all right?" Leon asked again.

We stood in front of the courtyard that led to their and the Gainsborough's houses.

Cloud shifted Kairi in his arms, "We'll be fine." Yuffie reached out to ruffle my spikes, "Take care shorty. I'm sure we'll see you around somewhere."

Leon nodded and glanced at Cloud a final time before leaving us.

The rest of the walk to the islands was pure agony. My legs hurt and the blistering sun seemed unfamiliar. As we saw our houses in the distance, I nearly cried with joy.

My feet felt funny as I took a step in to the sand. I wasn't used to the unstable ground any more.

"Get to bed." Cloud instructed me and headed for Kairi's house.

I waved goodbye and entered through the front door of my house. Sora was sitting patiently at the bottom of the steps, preparing to bombard me with questions before he saw my face and backed away. I wondered how miserable I looked.

Without a word he helped me up the steps and in to my bed. I felt the covers being pulled up to my neck and thanked my twin quietly.

X.

For weeks I stayed in my room, refusing to do anything. Cloud kept me company every once in a while, coming and going without an explanation. Sora brought me food throughout the day, talking dully about school and the homework, which reminded me of how much I didn't give a damn that I was missing so much school.

I still couldn't fathom that Namine was gone. Normally, in this kind of depressed state, Namine was the one who pulled me out, or atleast helped. But not this time. I let out a short breath, placing my head in my hands.

"Roxas?" Sora's head peeked around the door.

I looked up, wiping away the tired tears staining my face.

"Mrs. Gainsborough told me to give you these."

Several folders were held out to me and I quickly snatched them. Inside were Namine's sketches. The most beautiful artwork I had ever laid eyes on. I couldn't bring myself to continued flipping through them though. It was too much. Another day, I promised myself.

Sora had slipped from the room without me noticing and I placed the folders on my bed. I lay back, closing my eyes and dozing off.

When my eyes opened again, I saw a blond boy pacing the room quietly, humming under his breath.

I sat up, the bed creaking as I did so, and the blond turned to face me. I gasped and jumped to my feet, "Demyx!"

He chuckled softly and sat me back down, "Jeez, I didn't know you would be so happy to see me." His smile began to turn down and he cocked his head to the side, "Wow, you really don't look so good. Leon sent me down here, saying something along the lines of 'Get your sitar-playing ass down there and check on the boy, I'm sure he's not doing so hot.' So here I am. I never knew Namine and you were as close as you were. I'm so sorry Roxy." He patted my knee gently, giving me his sympathy.

I shrugged and lay back again. How did he know Leon?

He watched me closely, the calmest I've ever seen him. His features looked tired, worried even.

"You know... Axel misses you."

Axel. Because of recent events, I hadn't thought of the older male in a long time.

"I doubt that."

Demyx frowned further, standing, "Seriously."

I turned away and snuggled in to my pillow. Demyx sighed and rubbed my hair, "I should get going. It'll be dark in less than an hour." He left for the door.

I nodded and called goodbye to his retreating back. He turned to wink at me before leaving the room completely.

* * *

**Olette**

"Wow." I swallowed. The room was dark and the sky outside even darker. We had spent the last four and a half hours on his story. Never stopping once. He looked too tired to talk anymore.

I searched my mind for something to say.

"You don't have to give me your sympathies or anything, it's been almost six years since that event. My friends are still too scared to bring it up around me, or at all. They think I'll freak."

I thought back to the first day of school, everyone stopping in their speech before the name was said aloud.

He shook his head, "It was a crappy experience and it really affected me, but like I said, its been almost six years. I'm over it enough not to break down at the mention of Namine's name."

I smiled, "Of course."

He sighed, relieved about something, and stood up, "Come on, let's get you home."

I stood too, "You're taking me?" I couldn't help the small bit of surprise that creeped in to my voice. Roxas had never taken me home. It was always Leon.

The blond shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

I grabbed my stuff and pulled on a sweatshirt. We headed downstairs, where Cloud was watching T.V.

"You guys heading out?" Cloud asked from the couch.

We nodded and Roxas pulled on his shoes, "Yup, I'll be back in a bit."

Cloud gave him a grin of approval and went back to watching the television.

When we were out the door and almost to the station, I turned to Roxas, "So it seems like Cloud talks a lot more now than he did back in your story."

He smiled, "Oh yeah, definately. Leon's probably the cause for that."

"So when did they decide to... you know... become a couple?" I blushed at trying to find the right words.

He smirked, "I'll come to that in my story. Just be patient."

We waited on the train, staring out the dark windows. Roxas moved around periodically, incapable of sitting still.

"Olette!" We both jumped at the shout from behind us. I turned to see Pence opening the door from the cart behind ours, "What's up?"

I smiled sweetly and Hayner entered the compartment after him. Roxas growled low in his throat and Hayner did the same. I rolled my eyes and ignored them, "What are you guys doing?"

Pence pointed behind him, "We were doing a little shopping, Hayner wanted a new skateboard."

"Fun." I nodded.

The train slowed to a stop and we all got off.

"Well, I guess I can leave you here, with your friends." Roxas turned to me.

I smiled, "Yeah, thanks."

He gave half a smile back and jumped on to the train, "See ya."

I waved him off as the train sped away and followed my friends out of the station.

Hayner dropped his new board to the ground, "Time to test this puppy out." He grinned and looked up, "I'll catch you guys later."

We laughed and waved, heading for my house.

"I'll walk you." Pence suggested as we made our way down the hill.

I mumbled my thanks and we walked in silence.

"Pretty night." Pence looked up.

I smiled, something was up.

"So..." The boy scratched the back of his head, "I was wondering..."

I watched him as we passed under the streetlights, "Yeah?"

He shifted with discomfort, "Would you ever want to... I don't know... go out, or something?"

He looked over at me fearfully, afraid rejection was about to hit him in the face. I laughed casually at the look, "Of course, Pence. I'd love that."

A breath of relief whooshed out of him, and he smiled nervously, "Really?"

I reached out to take his hand and reassure him, "Yes."

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	11. Going Under

**I think I got this chapter up pretty fast! I'm surprised, expecially since I spend so much time playing Kingdom Hearts and working, I barely seem to have time for anything lol. And I was just getting in to the World That Never Was and I fought with Axel, then he faded away. I can't remember if that's the last time I see him or what, I haven't beaten the game since I first got it. I hope not. Axel's the shit. **

**There's quite a bit of a jump of time between Roxas' story this chapter and from last chapter. About a four or so year difference, actually.**

**Disclaimers: I own nothing.**

**Warnings: Swearing, mostly on Axel's part. boy/boy love.**

**P.S. I reposted this chapter because I was skimming through it this morning and realized that the section that was the same as the prologue was still in third person! Lol So I quickly changed it to 1st person again. Lol did anyone notice my mistake? Lol I feel stupid haha**

* * *

**Chapter 10****  
****_Going Under_**

**Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies  
So I don't know what's real and what's not  
Always confusing the thoughts in my head  
So I can't trust myself anymore**

**I'm dying again**

**I'm going under  
****Drowning in you  
****I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under**

******

* * *

**

Olette

"Did he really?" Hayner leaned back in my computer chair, setting his feet on my desk.

I glared at his dirty socks and crossed my arms, "Yes, he did. Get those off! I just cleaned."

The blond rolled his eyes and set his filthy feet back on the ground, "And you said yes?"

"Yep."

"But... it's Pence."

"Your point?"

He shook his head, "This is too weird."

I shrugged, "Deal with it. Besides... I think Pence would be great for me. I highly doubt he bets his girls off to strangers."

"That was one time!"

I crossed my arms, trying to silently convey the message to him that I would never get over it. He took in my expression carefully before sighing and looking away, muttering half-hearted apologies.

"Olette! Dinner!"

"You staying for supper?" I asked him.

"Like I would pass up free food?"

--

"So... Hayner... how has your mother been? I haven't talked to her in ages." My mum gave him her sweetest smile, waiting patiently for an answer.

Hayner swallowed the food in his mouth and shrugged, "She's good. Dad's in the process of building her dream office for her. As an early birthday present."

"Oh, how sweet!" She pouted out her upper lip and turned to my dad, "Why don't I get my dream office?"

"Hmph." Was his only reply.

"And what about Pence? He hasn't been over lately. What's he been up to lately?" She asked both of us.

Hayner snorted something that vaguely sounded like "Mauling your daughter." and I kicked him in the shin.

His face contorted in pain and mum watched us, confused, "Did Hayner say something?"

I shook my head, "Pence is great, Mum. He's just been busy with homework lately is all."

"Oh." She still looked a little confused, but accepted the answer.

X.

"So where are we going?" I hooked my arm through the shorter boy's.

He glanced at my hand, biting his lip with nervousness, "Well, uh... I was thinking we could go to the beach."

"The beach! But the beach costs a lot of money!" I was genuinely surprised. A ticket to the beach WAS a lot of money.

"I've been saving up." He glanced shyly at me. I squeezed his arm lightly and we continued towards the station.

The ride towards the beach was peaceful. Several elderly people made polite conversation with us for most of it, and the rest was a semi-comfortable silence. I could sense Pence's shyness and tried to rub some of my calmness on to him. He relaxed a bit when I set my hand on his shoulder and then took a deep breath. "Sorry." He muttered as we stepped off the train and in to an unfamiliar station.

"For what?"

He shrugged, "I don't know... being all shy, I guess."

I laughed lightly, "Pence. It's perfectly okay to be nervous."

He nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

"I mean, come on, it's just me. Olette."

"Exactly!" He gave a frustrated grunt.

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously, Olette? You don't see it?"

I watched him, confusion written all over my face.

He turned away, "You're amazing! You're smart, pretty, caring, and even popular. I've liked you since the day you moved here. When we first became friends, I pondered the thought of asking you out, but was too scared. Then Hayner beat me to the punch and everyone knows he's the hottie of our grade. I knew you'd say yes." He swallowed, glancing at me over his shoulder, "And then on your first day of high school, you become friends with the most popular kids in school! I thought you'd never say yes to someone like me."

"Oh, Pence." I reached out, taking his short hand in mine, "I don't base my friends and... significant others... on popularity. You should know that."

"I do know that! I've always known that. I'm just... now _realizing_ it. It's just another one of your amazing qualities."

A silence drifted between us. Pence thought I was amazing. Me... ordinary, plain-faced, nothing special, me! That meant more to me than if it would have come from a stranger. A friend who knew you in and out, spent almost every waking moment with you, and knew all your bad habits, still thought you were the most amazing person out there. How could anything feel better? Hayner had never called me amazing.

"Thanks." I whispered, clenching his hand a bit tighter, "That means a lot to me."

"You mean a lot to me."

We stood there smiling at each other, not paying any attention to the people walking by. They didn't matter anymore.

"Want to get something to eat?" He suggested after a while.

"Sounds good." He tugged gently on my hand and led me towards a restaurant on the pier.

X.

"Jeez, whats got your spirits so high today?"

"Huh?" I looked up from the window.

He laughed softly, more like a chuckle, and stepped closer, "You've been in a different world all morning."

"Different world?"

He laughed again, "You know... up here." He knocked on the side of his head lightly, indicating his brain, "What's going on?"

I smiled and twirled a lock of hair, "Well, Pence asked me out the other night and I said yes. Then we went to the beach last night and I don't know... it was a lot of fun."

"Pence..." He said the name outloud, trying to think, "Is he the kid with the bandanna? Red jersey?"

"That's him."

"Ah, I see. Well, hey, why not? He seems like a good kid."

"Yeah." I agreed and lay back on the bed, "He is."

The blond slid on to the bed next to me, staring up at the ceiling.

"Roxas?"

"Yes?"

"How long did it take you? To get over Namine's death?"

He turned his head to look at me, studying my face as he contemplated the question, "I'm not sure I ever really did get over it. I just moved on is all."

"Isn't that the same thing?" I flipped on to my side, propping my head on my hand.

"I don't know. I guess."

"So what happened? What made you move on?"

He sat up, getting ready to pace the room. I recognized this as his story mode and quickly tried to make myself comfy.

"Nothing really made me move on. It was just time. Lots and lots of time."

* * *

**Roxas**

"Roxas?"

"Mm."

"Yup, it's you."

"Obviously."

"Aw, cheer up."

"Why?"

"Because it's Riku's birthday, silly!"

"Your point?"

"Come on, Roxas! He's sixteen! You should celebrate!"

"Why, Kairi? How's sixteen any different from fifteen?" I threw an arm over my eyes, shielding myself from the sun. Currently, I was laying in the sand of my backyard, the water washing on to the shore only wetting my calves. Kairi was standing off to the side, ineffectively trying to block the sun for me.

"It's different because I said so! Now stop being a spoil sport and get your ass up! NOW!" She placed her hands on her hip, glaring at me from beneath her reddish hair.

My eyes widened fractionally with surprise before I sat up and just stared at her, "Uh... okay."

She nodded triumphantly, "Good. Now, we're throwing a surprise party for him tonight. You better be there."

"Sure."

She waved and ran off, leaving me sitting alone. Where was Cloud?

I stood up, brushing the sand off my legs in the process. I had grown taller since freshman year.

"Hey."

I jumped at the voice. How did he always sneak up on me?

"Cloud." I stated, breathless, as I turned.

He smiled at my startled expression, "Didn't mean to scare you."

"I bet."

He smiled wider, his blonde hair moving with the wind, "Think what you want. You going to Riku's party tonight?"

"I should."

He nodded his agreement, "You should make more appearances. The gang's becoming all worried over you."

"Why? I'm perfectly fine!"

"Yeah, but you smile less. And you go missing a lot."

"Speak for yourself! You're missing way more than I am! Guess Leon keeps you pretty busy, huh?"

His cheeks tinted red and he shifted, uncomfortable. He was so easy to embarrass.

"Guess he does."

I laughed at this, surprised he even spoke about it. Cloud was very private, especially when it came to his brunette companion. He tried to tell me they were just good friends, but I highly doubted that's where it ended. Cloud was a seventeen year-old gay boy, with an astonishingly good looking nineteen year old friend. I'm not sure of Leon's preferences, but it's pretty obvious they're closer than most guy friends.

"Don't give me that look." He crossed his arms, the sun shining off his silver earring.

I smiled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The corner of his mouth turned up, forming his cocky half-grin that was so rarely seen.

X.

"Shhh! He's gunna hear you!" Selphie whispered harshly.

Kairi stopped her insane giggling and we all covered our mouths.

"Here he comes!" Tidus dove behind the couch. We all ducked and hid as we heard voices on the porch.

"That was a weird movie." Sora pulled open the front door.

"I know, right?"

"I can't believe he just bit her head off like that!"

"Yeah it was-"

"SURPRISE!"

"Holy shit!" Riku jumped backwards, slipping and falling on his ass. Everyone laughed and crowded around him, offering their congratulations.

Sora helped the silver headed boy to his feet and smiled, "Man, you were scared!"

"Hell yeah I was scared! How often do you open your door and have ten people scream at you?"

I wasn't feeling festive and stood behind the rest, watching. I examined my twin brother closely. He had grown just as much as me in the past few years. His hair, which had once been scruffy and unkept, now just fit his tan skin and fierce eyes. All the chubbiness that had once lined his face was gone, leaving him completely handsome. The brunette patted his older friend on the back and I watched him too. No doubt Riku had grown the most since we were preteens. He had definitely shot up a couple feet, and his silky, silver hair had grown incredibly long.

"Roxas?" Riku was suddenly in front of me, "What? No 'Happy Birthday!'?"

"Sorry." I patted his arm, "Happy sixteenth birthday."

X.

"I can't believe we're sophomores all ready!" Kairi shook her head as we entered the school grounds.

"I know... it's so crazy." Sora agreed.

"I'm sure it's no different from being freshman." Riku spoke from between them.

Wakka pulled open the school doors for us and we trudged in. School sucked.

Schedules were being handed out at the front desk and we each waited for our own. After several moments of comparing classes, we separated for our lockers.

I wasn't really looking forward to this year, especially since none of my classes were anything special, and to top it all off, I had third lunch with only Wakka for company.

"School sucks." I grumbled as we jumped down the front steps.

"Sucky schedule?" Riku asked from behind me. I nodded and sighed. Did I mention school sucks?

--

"Wake up Roxas! We have school soon." Sora nudged me.

I groaned.

"Get up!"

I rolled away and groaned again. Did you ever have those days where all you wanted to do was sleep in? Well, today was that day for me. I just wanted to lay in bed forever. Fuck school. Fuck my life.

"We're gunna be late." The brunette ripped my covers away and I flinched at the loss of warmth, "Okay! I'm up, I'm up!"

"Good, now get dressed. We only have a few minutes."

I sat up and crawled out of bed. There was all ready a pair of clothes folded on the floor and I figured Sora grabbed them for me. I didn't even bother to look at what I had on. Sora knew what he was doing.

Everyone seemed so cheerful on the way to school and it nearly made me sick. Cloud walked silently by my side, quieter than he had been lately. Perhaps him and Leon were in a fight?

"Roxas, who is that?" Riku shifted to my side.

"Huh?" I stopped, looking around.

"Over there." He pointed towards the street and I turned to see, "I'm not spotting anyone."

"Right there, by the pole. Who is he? He's staring at you."

"At me?" I was a little shocked.

"Yeah, look!"

I spotted the person he was pointing to and stopped dead. Riku and the others stopped as well, questions forming on their lips.

"Axel?" I barely whispered the name.

The redhead tilted his head slightly to the side, squinting to see me. He red hair had grown longer and crazier, but the look only suited him. Even from the distance I could make out his twin emerald eyes. But what's this?

Were those tattoos?

I swallowed and stood frozen to the spot. What was he doing here? I hadn't seen him for nearly four years!

He seemed to snap out of his daze and stepped closer. I still didn't move. I could hardly breath. Axel was here, at my school, looking more gorgeous than ever.

"Roxas?" He asked.

My eye twitched at his voice. It was so addicting, the way he talked. I hadn't heard that voice in so long.

"Axel." I responded.

"Axel?" Sora spoke from behind me. Did he remember that name?

The redhead's gaze drifted quickly between me and all my friends, "Roxas..." He looked to me again, "Would you wanna... talk?"

I found myself nodding without really meaning to. Mum would be pissed that I skipped school. Oh well, you only live once, right?

Sora said my name a few more times, trying to reason with me, but I ignored him and followed the redhead off the grounds. He led me across the street and down the hill. There was a diner located on 8th Street, and I was pretty sure that was where he was taking me.

"So..." He began as we were seated, "How've you been?"

I simply stared at him. I hadn't said a word the entire walk here. The only reply I gave him was a shrug.

He examined my motions with interest; one thin eyebrow cocked upwards.

"You've grown." He smiled, his eyes traveling the length of my body.

"So have you." I sat back.

He seemed surprised by my little speech. "So you _can_ talk?"

"One would think."

His grinned lazily, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his red locks, "Shit this is awkward."

"A little." I squirmed. He wouldn't look away from me; it was making me uncomfortable.

I pointed to his twin tattoos, "I see you got some artwork done."

His eyes glanced down, as if trying to see them, "Yeah. They're an apology. If you'll take it."

"I will." My voice came out in a whisper.

"Did you forget me? Through the years?" He turned serious, leaning forward and looking me in the eye.

I swallowed, "Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Yeah, I did." A lie.

He nodded, as if expecting this, "Figured."

"Did you forget me?" I looked up.

"Never."

His emerald eyes sat unblinking. I found myself staring in to them without meaning to. They were the most amazing color.

He smiled, "I missed you."

Those three, simple words were what broke my daze, causing my normal Roxas temper to creep back, "There was nothing to miss, Axel. We barely knew each other."

My slight anger took him by surprise, "Even so... something _happened_ between us. Something felt off that entire time I was without you. You didn't feel it?"

"Not even the slightest." Definitely a lie.

He sighed, "Well, I did. Maybe for you it was just a small crush, but not for me. When you went home I could barely think. I wanted you to come back so bad."

"You're the one who pushed me away!"

"You kissed me!"

"Oh, come on Axel! What are we? Second-graders?"

"What the hell did you expect from me Rox?" He threw his hands up in defeat, "You were fucking twelve!"

I glared at the red head, "What the hell does that have anything to do with?"

Axel's emerald eyes flashed with anger, "Oh, come on, I was a freshman! Not only was I dealing with the fact that I could possibly be GAY, but I was gay for my friend... and not just any friend... it was you! My twelve year-old, blond, innocent, little, HOT best friend! You think I didn't want you? Oh god... did I want you..." His eyes flashed with lust. "But I was four years older than you! I freaked, okay?"

"So you left me? Do you know what I've been through? The hell I had to make it through all on my own... managing to _barely_ thrive off a promise you once made me?"

"A promise I also kept, might I remind you!" The taller boy brought his hand on to my shoulder, "If I truly didn't care about you, why would I wait for you for four years? Four fucking years!"

I scowled, "If you really cared, you never would have thrown those scissors at me, huh?"

Axel growled, "What do you _want_ from me? I apologized for that shit!"

"Never ever did you apologize!" I crossed my arms. And Axel hadn't apologized, well, at least not out loud. The two simple tattoos under his eyes were a tribute to me, though; a silent and _permanent_ apology for the invisible scars that had been left behind.

Axel stood and backed a step away, fingering the black triangles on his face.

I looked away.

"I'm sorry, okay? I made a mistake and I know it... I was..."

His voice trailed off and he swallowed.

Neither of us spoke.

My head tilted to the side, "You were what?"

Axel sighed and glanced between me and his shoes, "Scared."

I snorted, "Ha! Now you're just being dramatic... you've never been scared a day in your life!"

The emeralds flashed dangerously, "You don't know a thing about me, Roxas! You really fucking don't. You didn't then and you don't now. I was a fool to wait all this time. I wasted all my high school years for a dream that you refuse to let come true."

With a final sigh, and no response from me, the red head turned to leave, "I kept my end of the deal... what about you?"

I swallowed, "I can't."

Axel scoffed, "I swear to God... you were more mature when you were twelve."

"Years changed me." I shrugged, feeling braver than I actually was.

"Yeah, no doubt."

"Fuck you, Axel."

"Fuck you right back, Roxas."

"Ugh! I hate you! I sincerely _hate _you! Why did I come with you?" I pushed back my chair. Several customers were watching our display with horror. One of the waitresses seemed to be deciding whether or not to step in.

Axel smirked, "You came because you're a liar. A little fucking liar. I know you thought about me in the past few years. You had to of. Otherwise you wouldn't have come."

"Don't pretend you know anything about me, Axel."

"I'm not accusing you of anything I don't know. I never said your favorite color was pink or your favorite movie was 'Stand by Me', because those things I_ don't _know. But your personality... I'm definitely learning that."

I gritted my teeth but couldn't think of anything to say. Stupid idiot.

"I'm right, ain't I?" His face turned in to a cocky grin. It suited him.

"Black and white."

This definitely threw him off. His face fell and he looked at me, confused, "Huh?"

"Black and white." I said again, "You said you didn't know my favorite color. Well, it's a tie between black and white."

He took this in to consideration before smiling, "Red. That's mine."

I nodded, "Okay... well... what's your favorite kind of cookie?"

He took two careful steps back to our table, "Snicker doodle, you?"

"Sugar."

He nodded his agreement and slowly sat back down. I followed his lead and did the same. The many people eating in the diner went back to their food. A waitress popped by our side, "And what can I get you two?"

"Pancakes. With strawberries." I smiled. She nodded and wrote it down, turning to Axel. The redhead didn't even glance at her, "Bacon, lots of bacon. Oh! And a couple pancakes as well. Only butter."

She quickly walked away and he thought for a moment, "Favorite movie?"

"The Boondock Saints."

"All Dogs go to Heaven."

I burst out laughing, "You're kidding?"

"No! I love that movie!" He crossed his arms.

"Okay, okay..." I cut off my laughter, "You're middle name?"

"Embers. You?"

"Don't have one."

"You don't have one?" He looked confused, but didn't question the matter.

"Favorite animal?" He leaned on to the counter with one elbow.

"Wolf." I didn't really have a favorite animal, but it was Cloud's, so it was the first to come to mind.

"Dragon."

I rolled my eyes, "Dragons aren't real."

He narrowed his eyes but left a smile on his face, "Anything is real."

"Weirdo." I muttered, smiling as well.

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	12. Break my Fall

**Alright, this chapter's a little shorter than the others, just to let you know. I've been trying to write lately, but I've got TMJ right now and I'm in constant pain. So usually I'm found sitting on the couch, putting warm compress on my jaw. It really sucks. Review.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Warning: Swear words, boy/boy love.**

* * *

**Chapter 11  
_Break my Fall_**

**Let me belong here  
Break my fall  
Shelter me from all of this again  
Dedicated to the end**

It was sunset. The best part of the day. The time when you couldn't help but drop what you're doing and just stare at the sky in all its fading glory. I sat on the roof of my house, my feet dangling over the side. Cloud was laying at my side, his intense blue eyes watching me. I was waiting for him to ask, as I knew he would, about why I had left school today and who I was with.

"So who was that guy?"

"Uh... what guy?" I tried to fain innocence. It didn't work.

"The red head."

"Just an old friend."

"From where?"

"Traverse Town."

"Ah." Those blue eyes continued to stare at me, making me nervous.

"Cloud!" I glanced down to see Leon wandering in the backyard. Cloud's ears perked forward at the sound of his voice and he jumped to his feet, "Up here!" He called, a little too excited.

Leon waited patiently on the ground as the blond practically scurried down the tree and into the sand. At first it looked as if they were going to embrace, but the brunette's eyes darted my way and they both paused awkwardly.

I grinned as I too climbed down the palm tree. They were standing there, uncomfortable, with their eyes looking everywhere but each other.

"Well boys... I think I'm going to go for a walk. Have fun." I began walking away and didn't glance back until I was near the water. I spotted them climbing into Cloud's window. Only friends... I _bet_.

X.

"Favorite food?"

"Uh... sea-salt ice cream."

"Buffalo wings!"

I scrunched my nose in disgust, "Gross."

The redhead pouted and wiggled a finger in my face, "Nope! They're good!"

"If you say so."

"I do... and you _will_ eat them some day! Got it memorized?"

I casually rolled my eyes. How did Axel manage to talk me in to hanging out? Oh yeah... candy.

He pulled me through the front doors of a white building, "I told you this place was huge!" And it was huge. It was the largest candy store I had ever seen. Axel wasn't lying when he said I would nearly have a heart attack.

It was even two floors, one mainly consisting of candy, and the other of toys. My eyes widened as I walked along the shelves. They had everything! Lollipops, fruit chews, gummis, chocolate, candy corn, rock candy, peachos, strawberry puffs, SEA-SALT ICE CREAM!

"I want this!" I nearly shouted as I peered in to an ice-cream freezer. Axel appeared around the corner and looked over my shoulder. He patted my back and chuckled, "Of course you do. Now grab a couple and let's go pay for them."

I nodded quickly, sliding the glass open and grabbing two. My eyes never left the popsicles as the redhead payed the cashier and steered me out of the store. Once we stepped out the door, I ripped the wrapper off and practically shoved it in to my mouth.

Axel laughed again, watching me happily. I handed him the other one and he unwrapped his a little more slowly. His eyes lit up slightly after the first lick, but he didn't seem as excited about it as me.

"So maybe we could do this often? You know... hang out?" He glanced up hopefully at me and I found myself easily nodding. Whether that was because the ice cream was really good or I just really enjoyed his company, I wasn't sure.

"You sure do like this stuff, huh?" The redhead asked as I licked the last bit left off the stick.

I grinned up at him, tossing the stick in to the trash. His breath-taking green eyes watched me, amused. I started to walk, hoping to break his nerve-wracking attention on my face.

"So how old are you? I don't even know." I asked.

He looked away, scratching the back of his head, "Just turned twenty."

"Twenty?" I swallowed. Wow, he was old.

"You?" The redhead turned to me.

"I'll be sixteen in November."

"Jeez." He whispered under his breath, "Sixteen? I mean, I knew you were young... but... hearing it out loud... it makes me feel like a pedophile."

"It should." I joked. He looked over at me, his face blank as he thought.

"I'm just kidding." I nudged his arm, "You're not a pedophile."

He snorted, "That's good to hear."

"Because I'm sure you have nothing but good intentions, right?"

He smirked, "Oh, the _best_ of intentions."

I shuddered as he winked at me and had to look away. God, he was beautiful.

"So where to now?" The redhead threw his arm over my shoulder.

"Well, we could go back to my place? I'll introduce you to Sora."

"Sora? Is that your dog?"

"No! He's my twin brother!"

Axel laughed and apologized, following me through town. It was a few hours until dark yet and the sunset was only beginning to form. The redhead was strolling casually at my side, whistling. The sun made his hair flare even more red than usual, and it was blinding. The two tattoos made him look nearly cat-like, teaming up with his piercing emerald eyes. He reminded me of a lion almost. Well, not necessarily a lion. Leon fit that description a little better: strong, lean, rough, and courageous. Axel was more of a big, cuddly tiger: large, fluffy, and almost tamable.

"Yo Roxy? I'm flattered and all, but you've been staring at me for the past ten minutes." A voice cleared my head. I blinked several times and focused on his face, "Was I? Sorry."

We crossed the small bridge that led to the islands slowly, allowing Axel to take it all in. He had never seen them before, even from a distance, and was a little overwhelmed.

"You live here?" He asked in awe. I reassured him that I did, but he wasn't listening. Everything, from his jaw to his cocky remarks, dropped. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him. He was the only one, besides Leon and Namine, to ever be invited on to the island. Demyx had been there once before, about four years ago, but I'm not sure he cared about his surroundings all that much that day.

I pushed open the door to my house and ushered Axel in as well. We kicked off our shoes and I led him up the stairs. The door to my room was already open and I wasn't surprised to see Cloud lurking around the window.

"What's up?" I asked him. His blue eyes glanced between Axel and me, then back to Axel. He studied the redhead carefully before turning to me, "If you're looking for Sora, he and Riku are down on the beach." I nodded slowly and watched the blond begin to pace. Cloud never paced.

"What else is up?"

He glanced out the window as he slid by it, "I'm leaving." I gasped and stepped back, "Leaving? What do you mean, leaving?"

He stopped and turned to me, "I'm leaving the island. I'm moving in with Leon."

My jaw dropped. Leaving? Moving in with Leon? "Why?" The word was choked out and Cloud winced. "You can't leave me here!" I pleaded, nearly reaching for him. His eyes darted around, as if trying to figure out what to do, "You know why." And I did. I had known all along that Cloud and Leon were more than just friends.

"Cloud..." I breathed, "Don't leave me here."

He hung his head, "You're almost out of here too."

"And until then?"

"I waited, Roxas. It's been over a year since Leon asked me to leave. I waited for someone else to watch out for you, and now there is. I trust Axel."

"You don't even know Axel!" I took a step further.

"True, but if he waited around for you for four years, obviously he cares. I think he'll be able to watch over you." I felt Axel shift behind me, uncomfortable with the fact that he was being talked about.

"Cloud..." I whispered. The blonde's usual controlled movements were now shaky and forced. He opened the window and began climbing out, "You can come stay with us whenever you want, Rox. I'll only be in Twilight Town."

I nodded numbly and stared at my feet. He left silently.

Axel brought a hesitant hand to my shoulder, "I'm not really sure what's going on, but I'm sorry." He began massaging me, "What did he mean I could watch over you? What's there to protect you from?"

"My parents."

He stepped around me so we could be face to face, and grabbed my shoulders, "Do they hit you?"

"No." I shook my head, "They pretend I'm not here."

The redhead's eyes lowered and he thought for a moment. I watched him carefully, but was a bit surprised when he suddenly pulled me to him and hugged me. He released me slowly with a slight grin on his face.

"Roxas!" We heard Sora call. I led Axel out the door and down the steps. Sora was just coming in, Riku behind him. They both stopped when they saw my friend.

"Is this Sora?" Axel asked me. After I nodded, he held out a hand, "Well, hello Sora. I'm Axel."

Sora's usual cheeriness returned and he smiled as he took the redhead's hand, "Hello Axel. This is Riku." He gestured to the silver headed boy behind him. The two resulted to waving, and everyone stood awkwardly in the entryway. Sora eventually broke the silence by inviting Riku upstairs to play some God of War.

Once the two had left, Axel turned to me, "They're deifinitely a couple, right?"

"Yeah right." I gave him an incredulous look, "Sora's one hundred percent straight."

"And Riku?"

"Okay, Riku_ is_ gay." I rolled my eyes.

"Ah ha!" The redhead pumped a fist in to the air, "I knew one of them was! And I'm pretty sure Riku looks like he could get the little brunette to do whatever he wants."

"If you say so."

"I do."

X.

I'm an idiot. The biggest idiot I know. When I first saw Axel before school that day, I had promised myself I didn't care about him. Then we hung out and became friends. Next, I promised that I wouldn't let myself be attracted to him, and, well, you can only guess how that went. Lastly, I promised I wouldn't fall in love with him, and of course... look what happens!

"You're skin is really soft." His lips held a small smile as he brushed my cheek.

Lately, I had let him touch me without pushing him away. It had only been a grand total of six days since he reappeared, and I was already turning to goo at his touch. Something about him mesmerized me. I wanted to spend every waking moment with him. And both last night and tonight, I had let him sleep in my room. He had to sneak in, of course, since my parents would never let me have him over, but I let him for two reasons: one, I knew he was still living in that hotel, and two, I wanted to be with him as much as possible.

"And so is your hair." He reached a hand there next.

I chuckled as he began to nuzzle his face in to it, yanking very softly on the tips. He was the adorable one. Once again, like a giant cuddly tiger.

"I waited to do this for four years." The redhead muttered, pulling away to look at me. I smiled, "Was it worth it?"

"What do you think?" He asked, nuzzling my neck next.

"ROXAS!" I jumped away from Axel, nearly shoving him off his chair. My mum came up the steps quickly, her feet pounding harshly as she stomped across the wood.

Axel regained his composure and dove in to the closet while I sat on my bed awkwardly.

"Roxas, what the _hell _is this?" The door crashed open and she waved an envelope in her hand.

"Uh..." I had no clue what it was. I couldn't even see it.

"Skipping school?" She threw her arms up, "When will you learn you're not above the rules of this house?"

I stayed silent, knowing that if she ranted long enough, she'd tire and leave me alone.

"I'm deadly serious, Roxas! I can't have trouble in this household. One more slip up and I swear I'll kick you out of here." With those words, she departed to room and stomped her way back down the steps.

I pondered her words on my bed, waiting for Axel to come out. Normally, this would be when Cloud suddenly appeared, promising me eventually I wouldn't have to live under her rules.

"Let her kick you out." The redhead suddenly spoke. I jumped. "I'll take care of you." He came closer.

"Where? I'm not going to that hotel." I crossed my arms. He shook his head, "Of course not. We''ll go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Wherever you want."

He reached out, pulling my head level with his, "Will you go with me?"

My heart nearly stopped beating, "Yes."

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	13. Broken

**I waited a while to post this chapter because I wanted to get the next couple finished as well. I also chose a title for my third story. I still haven't started writing it (I'm waiting until I finish Facade), but I have everything planned out in my head. The title I chose is 'Fall For You'.**

**I was also wondering if anyone had some good suggestions for stories to read? I feel like I've read almost every one out that that involve my fave couples, but I'm sure I haven't. My fave characters are Axel , Riku, and Zexion, and although I claim I'm a huge Axel lover, I can't deny that deep down I've always had the biggest soft spot for Riku. I won't lie, he's probably my favorite.**

**Well, I should probably let you actually read the story now lol.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Warning: Cursing, boy/boy.**

* * *

**Chapter 12  
_Broken_**

**Wake up to a sunny day,  
Not a cloud up in the sky,  
Then it starts to rain.  
My defenses hit the ground,  
And they shatter all around.  
So open and exposed.**

**But I found strength in the struggle.  
Face to face with my trouble.**

**When you're broken in a million little pieces,  
And you're tryin, but you can't hold on anymore,  
Every tear falls down for a reason.  
Don't you stop believing in your self.  
When you're broken.**

**Little girl don't be so blue,  
I know what you're goin through,  
Don't let it beat you up.  
Heaven knows that getting scars  
Only makes you who you are  
...Only makes you who you are**

**No matter how much your heart is aching,  
There is beauty in the breaking**

"I love being with you. You know that right?" His breath was so warm.

"Oh god, I know."

"And you're not going to forget that, right?"

"Right." I swallowed, his chest was comfortable.

It was about two in the morning and we were having our usual sleepover. Axel was currently taking up a majority of the bed and I had to result to snuggling at his side, not that I minded. We were now at three weeks since he appeared and it was proving to be the best weeks of my life. He had taken Cloud's friendship spot easily, though I haven't forgotten the blond once, and the boyfriend spot was soon becoming his as well. I never wanted him to leave again.

"Man, I'm tired." The redhead yawned and turned over, accidently flipping us both off the bed. We crashed on to my bedroom floor and lay still for several minutes. I barely even breathed as I listened for my parents.

"I don't think anyone heard." Axel whispered. I nodded quickly and relaxed, "You're an idiot."

He smiled brightly, "Well, I do try my hardest." I too smiled and he shifted so he was on top of me, leaning his elbows on both sides of my head. He wasn't really touching me anywhere, since he was supporting himself with his knees as well, but his face was close to mine. A strange feeling was forming in the pit of my stomach.

Axel hovered just above me, watching my every move. In the dark I could only see his emerald eyes and black tattoos in contrast to his pale skin. Pulling an arm free, I skimmed a finger along one of the triangles. His eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, then slowly opened again. I noticed for the first time how long his eyelashes were. They made his eyes that much more beautiful.

He began bringing his face closer, his eyes never leaving mine. He seemed to be asking me, no, _begging_me for permission. I stared back, my eyes as wide as saucers. He stayed an inch or so away, waiting for me to give the signal. And I did. I smiled wide, nodding my head just a little bit. His lips were softer than I remembered, and his tongue a little more insistent. I was older now, and I think he was taking that in to consideration.

"I missed you." He breathed before starting to nip at my neck. I nodded my agreement roughly, arching my back. His hands roamed everywhere possible under my shirt and I tried to push them lower, but he wouldn't let me. Becoming frustrated, I tipped him over so I could roll on to him instead. He laughed quietly, "Oh, Roxy's feisty!"

I took a moment to roll my eyes and then _my_ hands began roaming. His eyes closed and he let out a soft moan. I grinned and reached lower.

"Roxas, stop." His words surprised me and I looked at him, "Why?"

The redhead scooted out from beneath me, leaving me frozen in bewilderment. He was taking deep breaths, trying to calm his heart rate, "I shouldn't have started that. We almost took it too far."

"Too far? We barely did anything!"

He nodded, "Yes, and that's how it needs to stay."

"But why?" I stood.

"Quiet, Roxas! You're going to wake your parents!" He whispered.

"Why?" I repeated, "We both want this! I'm no longer twelve years old!"

"Yes, I know that. Now, you're fifteen and I'm twenty. If we did something, it'd be illegal."

"I don't care!" I shouted. I didn't care. I wanted that redhead and I wanted him now!

"Well, I do. Be patient, Roxas." He sat up. I was surprised. I had always figured Axel and I would have a relationship where he would be the nonstop pervert and I would scowl and push him away, pretending I didn't like it.

"I don't want to be patient." I knew I sounded like a kid stomping his foot in a candy store, but I didn't care. I was almost sixteen. I had _needs_!

"I'll tell you what." Axel sighed, "When it comes to your sixteenth birthday, we'll take things a little further, okay?"

I pondered this for a moment. My birthday wasn't that far away, I could live with that, "Okay."

"Good." He pulled me back to the bed, "Now, let's go to sleep. You have school in the morning."

X.

Sigh.

I was bored. Sora and Riku were off somewhere, Kairi and Selphie were shopping, Cloud was still gone, and Axel claimed he couldn't come tonight. There was absolutely nothing to do. I even considered finding Wakka and Tidus, but they were probably playing blitzball. Ew... blitzball. I wasn't _that_ bored.

Sigh.

"Hey Roxas!" I choked with relief at the sound of Sora's voice. He slid down the sandy beach, Riku right on his heels, "Hey guys!"

They slowed at my chirpiness, a little surprised, but recovered quickly and stopped at my feet. Sora bounced, "Wanna swim with us?" I looked between him and Riku quickly, "Of course!" I didn't even bother to change. Mesh shorts would work just as well.

We explored the edge of the woods quickly, looking for our favorite pond. It was clean, filled with freshwater, connected to a tiny waterfall, and had a natural slide carved in to the stone above it. Riku called first dibs on the slide, ripping off his shirt and taking off at a run once we spotted the area. Sora followed behind, doing the same. They raced up the rocks, pushing each other around. Sora slipped about midway and tried to grab on to Riku, nearly succeeding in pulling down his shorts in the process. Both fell off the wet rocks and cascaded in to the water below. I laughed.

Riku was the first to resurface and he held up his elbow with a frown. There was a long cut along it, bleeding. Sora came up sputtering next, apologizing immediately.

"It's fine, Sor."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Lemme look at it." He reached to grab his friend's bicep for a better look, his wet fingers sliding around his arm. Riku seemed unfazed, but Sora seemed to realize they were touching and ripped his hand away, blushing. So they were still going through that awkward thing? Poor Riku.

"You, uh, coming in, Roxas?" He looked hopefully at me. I pulled off my shirt and jumped in. It was a little warmer than I had hoped, but it was nice all the same. We only swam for a couple hours before climbing out and laying on the bank.

"Let's play a game." I suggested, "One that doesn't require movement."

"How about Never Have I Ever?" Riku asked. We shrugged and rolled on to our stomachs, facing each other.

"Me first." Sora announced, "Okay, never have I ever streaked." We both put our hands in, but Riku stayed out. Sora turned to him, laughing, "You've streaked?"

"It was a dare from Tidus!" He defended.

"Me next! Um, never have I ever slept naked." I stated, leaving my own arm out. The other two did as well. Riku thought for a moment, "How about, never have I ever masturbated." We all laughed and kept our hands out. Come on, we were all teenage boys!

Sora's smile faded and he turned deadly serious,"Never have I ever masturbated to the thought of a boy." His own hand went in without hesitation, but Riku and I looked nervously at each other. Why did Sora ask that? He hated hearing about these things.

He cleared his throat, "Never have I ever kissed a boy." He immediately put his in, already knowing Riku's and my answer. Next he looked at the ground, "Never have I ever kissed Roxas." Again his hand went straight in and he didn't wait for Riku to make a move. "Never have I ever kissed a boy that wasn't Roxas." This time he did look to his friend, and Riku kept his hand still. "Never have I ever done _things _with a boy." I slid my hand in, because technically, I had never done anything. Sora's eyes narrowed as he kept his focus on Riku's unmoved hand. I was pretty sure I knew the next question about to be asked and I pleaded with my twin, "Sora."

He ignored me and looked to Riku, "Never have I ever had sex." Riku looked away this time, swallowing. My own eyes widened enormously and Sora's nostrils flared the slightest bit. Riku's had sex? With who? We sat in deafening silence until Riku finally leaned forward.

"Never have I ever touched Kairi in any way, shape, or form, whether it be a kiss or more." His voice sounded weak and small. He finally put his hand in, waiting for me to do the same. We both looked to my brother, who just sat there.

"I knew it." Riku shook his head.

"No, _I _knew it." Sora spat.

"You and Kairi." Riku sat up, crossing his arms, "Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"No!" Sora sat up too. Riku planted his cockiest smirk on his face, "She your whore then?"

"No." Sora shook his head, suddenly calm, "You're the whore in this friendship, Riku. I bet if I asked you to get on your knees and be my slave, you'd do it if that meant sleeping with me. You know why? Because you're a dirty, pitiful, whore! No wonder you're the most popular guy in school. You probably sexed your way up there. What about my brother? Did you fuck him too?"

Riku's jaw dropped and he rocked back as if slapped. I too was in shock. What was wrong with Sora? Riku was his best friend! The silver headed kid stood, opening his mouth several times, as if to speak, then turned and ran out of the woods, shirtless and all. I got to my feet instantly and began retreating. Sora was mumbling behind me, begging me to stay with him.

"I can't believe you." Was all I said. And I couldn't! Sora was the nicest kid I knew. He didn't point out other's faults and he never grew angry over someones own choices in life, especially his best friend's!

Making my decision, I left the woods as well, running down the beach until I reached the boardwalk. From there I headed to Riku's house, not even bothering to knock as I walked in.

"Riku!" I called, running down the steps to the basement. His door was shut but unlocked. I opened it up slowly, peeking inside. The silver headed boy was pacing by his bed, flexing and unflexing his fingers.

"Riku?" I asked a little more softer, coming completely inside the room and shutting the door behind me.

"What... the _hell_?" He turned to me, "What's his problem?"

"I don't know." I confessed.

He shook his head, tears coming, "What do I do? How do I handle him, Roxas? I mean, for god-sake, I love the kid! I love him. I've wanted to be with him since the sixth grade! But I knew he was anti-gay, so I kept my distance. I never told him I had feelings and I sure as hell never put any moves on him! It's been four years, and he still can't get over the fact that I like boys. And yes, I've had sex. But why does he care? What's it to him? I'm sixteen fucking years old, I can damn well do whatever I want!"

I nodded and stepped closer. He looked at me fully, completely sobbing now, "Am I a whore for substituting others for something I can never have?"

My heart dropped and I had to catch my breath, "No, Riku."

He fell to his knees, grabbing at my shirt. I too kneeled and embraced him in a hug. He cried in to my shoulder and I patted his back. I felt so bad for him. I had never seen him cry before. I mean, he was Riku, the most popular kid in school. The one who broke his leg when we were seven just to prove to Sora that he could reach the furthest coconut in the palm tree. He was brave, confident, and completely ready for anything the world offered him.

Well, not anymore.

X.

"Is he okay?" The brunette was worried, I could tell. But after watching Riku break down for hours until he was finally too exhausted to remain awake, I couldn't find any left-over sympathy for my twin.

"Not really. I waited until he fell asleep to leave." I said emotionlessly. My brother whined quietly, guilt clawing at every corner of his mind, "What should I do?"

I shrugged, intending to be very cold with him.

"Please help me, Roxas."

"Why did you even say that crap, Sora? I mean it was like all the sudden you snapped. We were all laughing, having a good time, and then BAM!, you were just accusing and accusing him. What happened?"

The brunette bit his lip, shifting to sit on my bed, "I don't know. I heard someone talking at school the other day about you. They were saying that you were sleeping around with some older guy, probably Axel, and I kind of got angry. Then they started on Riku. Talking about how he slept with all these different guys and what not. I finally spoke up about how they had absolutely no clue what they were talking about. One of them turned to me and just smirked. His exact words were, 'But I guess you would, being Riku's whore and everything. I mean, the kid sleeps with everyone else, but I'm sure you're his favorite!'. It really upset me." He shook his head, "I pushed it all away though. To... ask Riku about later. But playing that game, it made me think of it. I couldn't help it, I just starting drilling on him."

"Sora," I started, "When did you and Kairi... do things?"

He snorted, "The same night I heard those stories. I couldn't help it, I just felt... I don't know..."

I nodded my head once to signal the conversation was over. I was too tired to hear anymore. He left quietly, leaving me to curl in to my warm bed without a word.

For a moment I tried to set myself in Riku's shoes. How would it feel to be the most popular kid in school, extremely good looking, and be in love with your best friend, who didn't even like boys? For a moment I thought of Axel. Was I just lucky when I met the redhead? Is it considered lucky to accidentally meet someone you don't know, impact their life with just a few shorts weeks, then leave for four years, and have them still thinking about you? Maybe.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	14. Change the World

****

Hey, finally an update for this story. I wrote it a while ago, along with chapter fourteen, I've just been neglecting it as of late. I've been kind of busy. But here it is!

**I'm still looking for suggestions of stories to read... they don't just have to be Kingdom Hearts either. Look through my profile sometime and find the part of which fanfics I like to read. Lately, I've moved back to The Covenant kind of. I'm a Reid/Tyler fan.**

**On to the story!**

**Warnings: Boy/Boy, cursing.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I just want to remind everyone that Roxas and Olette aren't ever going to become a couple in this story. I just don't want people to get the wrong idea.**

**Well, Review! They make me smile! lol**

* * *

**Chapter 13  
Change the World**

****

I don't have another reason  
Why all these thoughts are floating through my head  
It seems I take myself through seasons  
I take it all myself, my pain instead  
Break me off a little something  
Why do I always have to compromise

****

Let me be myself just one time  
Don't want to search for what I cannot find  
My patience running thin with this state  
There's only so much one can really take

Life never goes the way you want it to. It seems you have everything laid out, ready to go, but then suddenly it's knocked on its side. It was kind of like putting a puzzle together. You spend days and days on it, never quite finishing it, until one day you finally realize you're almost done. But something comes up and you have to let it go for a while. Then, when you return, you find someone accidentally kicked it, and it's all messed up. Now this is the point where you're tested. If you're truly determined, you will pick up the pieces that were scattered and salvage what survived. Then you'll continue to put it all back together and actually finish it. But if you're like most of the population, you'll either let it lie for weeks, too lazy to pick it up, or you'll just shove it all back in to it's box and never finish it.

That's what was happening between my brother and his best friend. Sora was more than willing to apologize and make friends with Riku again. But Riku was hovering between the gray area of just ignoring Sora all together, or packing things up and just ending the friendship. He couldn't see how it was going to work anymore.

"I love him too much, Rox." The boy explained, laying back on his bed.

I nodded my head, sitting straight on the computer chair. Axel was watching from the corner, silent. I introduced the both of them the other day, thinking maybe Axel could help. The redhead had yet to say anything, but I could tell he was thinking deeply about the topic.

"Axel?" Riku suddenly spoke, looking to the redhead, "Do you love Roxas?"

I glanced curiously up at this and blushed when Axel winked, "Of course."

Riku sighed, "What would you do if he didn't love you back?"

Axel looked to me this time, studying my face. Did I love him? "He doesn't love me yet, but... he will." The redhead gave me a warm smile and reached over to ruffle my spikes.

Riku watched us, grinning, before his eyes dropped to his feet and he swallowed, suddenly serious again, "What should I do?"

"Well..." Axel paced the room, "The kid claims he's not gay and wants nothing to do with your guy's... gayness. Right?"

We both nodded our heads. He rubbed his chin and stopped, "Yet... he's upset that you've been sleeping around." I raised my hand slightly so Axel could turn his attention to me, "And when I spoke to him he said that some guys accused him of being gay with Riku. So he got really upset and that's when Kairi and him did whatever they did."

Axel smiled at this and paced a little faster, "So he was upset about being called that and did things with his little lady friend to..." He stopped again and raised an eyebrow, "was it to prove to himself that he wasn't gay? Maybe he's questioning himself now and he doesn't like it."

Riku smiled hopefully, "You think?"

"It's possible." Axel reassured him.

The doorbell rang and we all looked to the ceiling. Riku stood slowly and sighed, "I guess I should get that." I murmured my agreement and watched him leave the room. Axel and I listened closely as the door was opened and somebody shouted, "I'm sorry!" We quickly ran out of the room and up the steps to peek through the railing. Sora was hugging Riku tightly, apologizing over and over, "I'm so sorry, Ri! I didn't mean to be so harsh! I didn't even mean to bring it up. I was just upset and..." He start sobbing in to Riku's chest and the silver haired boy patted his back awkwardly. They hadn't had much contact since the day Sora found out about Riku. Which was years ago.

"I shouldn't care about what you do with other people, or that your gay, or that you kissed my brother!"

Axel's eyebrows scrunched and he looked to me, "He what?"

"Nothing."

"I won't ever bother you about your sex life again, I promise!" Sora gripped his shirt tightly, "Just don't leave me. Please stay my best friend." Riku gave him a slight smile before hugging him again, "Of course I'll stay your best friend." He frowned when Sora could no longer see him and I knew he was still upset that friends is all they would ever be.

* * *

**Olette**

I shook my head, "Poor Riku."

Roxas nodded and sighed. He was exhausted. He had been telling his story for the last day and a half. I had stayed the night and we talked long in to the night before getting up early and starting again. It was almost four in the afternoon and he had to stop, "I'm really tired."

I giggled and got up, "That's fine, Roxas. I should get home anyway. My parents are probably wondering why I'm not there yet."

He smiled and lay back on his bed. Within seconds he was out and I leaned over him to pull his covers up. He must have been really sleepy.

I left the room quietly and made my way down the steps. I wasn't sure how long it'd been since Leon left, but he still wasn't back. Cloud was now in charge of the household. He stood from the couch and smiled, "Want a ride?"

"A ride?" I asked, confused. He smiled wider, god he was cute, "Yeah, my bike."

"Oh." Was all I said. I had seen his bike before. It looked dangerous, "Uh, sure."

We both pulled on some shoes and I followed him out the door. For the first time I noticed how tall he really was, and how muscular. I had never really looked at him before now. His skin was pale, or at least paler than mine, and his face had a few freckles. I watched the sun glint off his earring and wondered when he had gotten it.

The sound of a motor starting up made me jump and I gasped as he brought his bike up to me, "Hop on."

I nodded slowly and carefully climbed on, gripping the back of the blonde's shirt. We drove quickly through the unfamiliar area and the wind whipped my hair around. Cloud seemed to know exactly where we were going.

The motorcycle ride was actually pretty fun, and I hoped to get to do it again sometime as we neared my neighborhood. It was a lot faster than using the trains.

The bike slid to a stop in front of my house and I grinned as several neighbors peeked out their windows. Cloud ran a gloved hand through his blond spikes and turned to me, "Here you are."

"Thanks." I smiled and headed towards the house. He nodded and pulled on a pair of goggles before driving off.

I flinched as soon as I stepped through the door, knowing my mother would terrorize me.

"Who the hell was that and what was he driving?" She came around the corner, hands on her hips.

I kicked off my shoes, "Cloud, Roxas' best friend, and his motorcycle."

She glanced out the window, "It looked highly unsafe."

"I'm still in one piece." I reminded her. She either excepted this answer or ignored it, because she was suddenly changing the subject, "So I have a question." She sat on the couch, looking thoughtful, "What is it that you and Roxas exactly do all day?"

I shrugged, "He tells me his memoirs."

She raised an eyebrow, "Memoirs?"

"Yeah. About his life growing up. It's really fascinating. He was born on the islands, you know, Destiny Islands?"

My mum looked surprised, "Really? He's an island kid?"

"Yup, and growing up, his parents ignored him. He has a twin named Sora, who is the golden child in their perspective. He once ran away when he was twelve too." I told her. She looked interested, "Poor thing. Why don't you ever invite him down here?"

"I don't know, never thought of it I guess."

She stood, "Well you just have to invite him. I would love to meet him."

"Sure." I ran up to my room and collapsed on my bed. I was suddenly really tired as well.

--

I woke at eleven o'clock that night, to the sound of my phone ringing. Grumbling, I reached out from my covers to grab it. It was Pence.

I nearly dropped it as I hurried to flip it open, "Hello?"

"Olette?" He asked.

"Yep." I sat up.

"Hey, what are you up to?" He asked.

"Well, I was actually sleeping." I told him sheepishly.

He gasped, "Oh you were? I'm so sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah." I lied.

He laughed, "Liar. Anyway, the reason I'm calling is just to ask where you've been the last couple days. I've hardly heard from you."

"Sorry." I mumbled, laying tiredly back on my bed, "I was hanging with Roxas."

He seemed to except this explanation, "Fun, fun. Well, I guess I should let you get back to bed. We should hang out sometime soon, okay?"

"Sounds excellent." I smiled.

We hung up and I rolled on to my side, letting sleep overtake me once again.

--

I had the weirdest dream ever. Roxas and I were standing on the beach, staring at the water. The blond had asked me to go there to help him forget. I wasn't sure what that meant but I had agreed to go. When we arrived, Axel was waiting by the water. In real life I had never seen him before, so he looked the way I just pictured him to look.

Roxas had walked right by him, not even stopping, until he and I were looking out at the ocean. Then a boat appeared and Roxas pulled me in to it. We floated away, refusing to look back at the redhead left behind.

"Olette, you awake?" My mum woke me.

"Huh?" I groggily opened my eyes, the dream gone from my mind.

"It's almost seven." She informed me, entering the room to open my blinds. I groaned and sat up, "So?"

"So?" She repeated, stopping to look at me, "Olette... you have school today."

I groaned a second time and fell back to my bed. My mum left with one last 'Get up!' and I rolled off the bed. A nice hot shower would wake me up.

--

I arrived at school about ten minutes before the bell rang, and Sora was lounging by my locker, "Hey Olette." He smiled a small smile and I glanced at him curiously before opening my locker, "What's up Sora?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I was, uh, just wondering how Roxas is? I know you talk to him all the time, and well, I don't really get to see him much..."

"He's good, Sora." I told him, bending over to grab my books. The brunette grinned and leaned against the locker next to mine, "Anyway, we're having this party at Kairi's on Friday. Want to come?"

"At Kairi's?" I stood up straight, confused, "Like, on the island?"

Sora shrugged, "Yeah. We figured it was about time everyone got to see what was so special about the damn island, which is nothing." He laughed a little bit before crossing his arms, "But any-who, you should come! And bring Pence and Hayner with you. This party is going to be huge."

"What about parents? Where are Kairi's going to be?" I asked. He waved me away and laughed, "Vacation. A second honeymoon or something like that."

"Oh, I see. Sure, I'll be there." I shut my locker. He smiled, "Good. I told Cloud about it, but if you talk to Roxas before then, don't be afraid to ask him if he's going."

"Sure." We said bye one more time before finally heading our separate ways.

--

"Did you hear about Kairi's party? On the island?" Hayner asked me in class, "It's all everybody is talking about!"

"Yeah." I smiled, "Sora invited me this morning."

"Selphie invited me this morning too. And she said to bring Pence along."

"Same here." I leaned on my desk, chewing on my pencil. The blond beside me shifted, "Why are they suddenly so serious about everyone seeing the island?"

I shrugged, clueless, "I don't know."

"It'll be fun though, don't you think?" He whispered. The teacher strode in to the classroom and glared at everybody.

"Yeah, I think so." I whispered back.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly and everywhere you went, talk about the party at the end of the week could be heard. I was a little excited myself, never actually seeing the island before. I also wondered if Roxas would go. Parties didn't seem like his thing.

--

"I can't go." Pence frowned.

"What do you mean you can't go?" Hayner asked from beside him. We were lounging in our Usual Spot, discussing the party.

"It's my mum's birthday, so we're going out to eat."

I pouted and sighed, "What about afterwards?"

The dark headed kid shook his head, "Can't, sorry."

We all groaned and sat back.

X.

"What ya doing?" Roxas leaned over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and continued writing, "Homework." He seemed bored with that answer and shifted to lean behind my other shoulder, "Sounds not fun."

I raised a careful eyebrow, but didn't look back at the blond. He seemed unusually... restless... today. The more he paced, the more I recognized him as Sora's twin.

"Are you going to the party tomorrow?" He casually asked, sitting on my bed. I nodded my head and began checking my answers. "Yeah, me too." He looked out my window towards the islands.

"Really?" I stopped doing my homework to look back at him. He was really going? I hadn't thought he would.

"Sure, why not? I haven't seen some of my friends for almost a year."

"Good." I smiled widely, "Seeing your friends will be good for you."

He didn't smile back, only stood again and stepped in front of me, "Well, I was wondering, actually... if you'd go with me? You said Pence wasn't going, and well, Hayner's going with Selphie, so I know you're afraid of feeling awkward there..." He trailed off and searched for the right words, "Don't get scared though, because I'm not asking you on a date!" He looked seriously to me and I laughed, "Of course you're not, Roxas. You're gay, I'm a girl, not to mention taken... a date would make no sense." He seemed relieved at my understanding and the next words came out a little easier, "Okay, good! Anyway, the truth is... I'm afraid to go."

"Afraid?" I pushed my chair away from my desk, forgetting my homework all together, "What are you afraid of?"

His head tilted slightly to the side and he swallowed, "My friends. I told you, I haven't seen most of them for almost a year. And Sora... I've seen him a lot, but... I can't even remember the last time we spoke."

"So you want a familiar face there?"

"Kind of." He pouted, "Will you come with me?"

"Of course, Roxas."

"Thank you!" He shouted, jumping up and down. He was reminding me more and more of Sora every minute.

X.

"Olette? You decent?" Roxas knocked on my door. I giggled and shouted 'yes' before pulling on a comfortable pair of shoes. The blond stepped in to the room and smiled once he saw me, "Good, let's get going."

I followed him out the door and down out of the house. He easily picked his way through the edge of town until we were suddenly listening to the tapping of our feet against wood. The bridge that connected Twilight Town with Destiny Islands was old, but sturdy. There were others crossing over just as we were, talking excitedly about the party ahead. Roxas eyed them curiously before glancing back to me, an anxious look on his face. He was practically dancing circles around me. It was strange; I'd never seen this side of him before.

"Why are you so... giddy?" My eyebrow twitched curiously and I waited as he let out a happy breath.

"I don't know. I think it's that I'm seeing Sora soon and being with my twin brings out some of the life in me."

"Some?"

"Huh?" His brows creased and he looked confused.

"You said 'some of the life in me'." I reminded him. His eyes darted to his feet before resting back on me, "Now's not the time, Olette." For that moment he turned back in to the quiet, scolding boy he could be, then the smile returned as our feet stepped on to the boardwalk.

"I really do miss this place." He changed the subject.

"I can see why." When you look at the island from afar, it seems so pretty, but once you're actually on it, the words 'absolutely breath-taking' come to mind.

"Before we go to Kairi's... there's something I want to show you." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me off the boardwalk and in to the sand. He drug me down the beach, his knowledged feet weaving through the unsteady sand a lot easier than my own.

He pulled off his shoes and rolled up his pants, stepping out in to the water. I kicked my shoes off as well, pushing my capris even further up my legs. The water was a little cold, but I soon grew accustomed. The blond in front of me dropped his head before looking back at me, "I love the ocean, yet I hate it at the same time. I love the sound of the waves crashing on the shores and the seagulls calling out, but it also reminds me of something I hate all together. I can't make up my mind."

I shifted my weight from leg to leg, listening patiently as he let the water soak the bottom of his rolled up jeans, "You know... it was this very spot that ruined my life."

Without thinking, my eyes drifted to the dry sand behind me. It was as if I was expecting an explanation to be drawn in to the dirt. "What happened?" I whispered.

He smiled sadly and walked back to me, "We don't have time for that now. I'll tell you later."

"Tease." I joked. He laughed gently and held out his hand, "That's me. Now, let's go to that party."

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	15. Addicted

**Finally an update.. sorry it took so long. Or did it? I don't even know. It feels like it has been forever. This isn't all that great of a chapter, or at least I don't think so. It's too much in too small of a space and not written all that well. Sorry I've been so busy lately. I've got CC, show choir, work, and plus two recent deaths (sad stuff) and not to mention a coworker of mine is dying in the hospital. Plus, it's homecoming week at my school lol. Once fall is over all I have is work, school, and show choir, so I should be a lot more free then!**

* * *

**Chapter 14  
_Addicted_**

**I'm so addicted to  
All the things you do  
When you're going down on me  
In between the sheets  
All the sounds you make  
With every breath you take  
Its not like anything  
When you're loving me**

We crawled up the beach and stopped at the boardwalk to put on our shoes again. The music from Kairi's house could be heard from where we stood and we both watched as people poured in and out of the building. The blond suddenly seemed nervous and he almost retreated back a step.

"Come on... Sora's in there." I encouraged him. He took a deep breath and we headed in to the house. Everything was loud and moving when we were inside. Music was playing so loud, I couldn't think. There were a lot of people dancing and running around.

"Roxas?" Somebody asked by the doorway. Every head in the room turned up to see, and several mouths dropped open. The music cut off and I heard Roxas let out a quick breath.

"Roxas!" Selphie repeated, excitement flowing off her in waves. Roxas bit his lip uncomfortably, looking to me for reasurement. I nodded my head and smiled. He tried to relax a little more before clearing his throat, "Uh... where's, uh, Sora?"

Selphie laughed before yelling Sora's name really loudly. The brunette still didn't appear and Tidus offered to go find him.

"Roxas?" Riku slid in through the kitchen doorway and stood on his toes to get a better look, "Is it really you?"

My friend smiled, "Yep, Riku. It's me!" The silver headed kid practically jumped in to the other's arms and they embraced tightly, "Shit, man... it's been forever." They stepped away and examined each other.

"I see your still a shorty." Riku crossed his arms. The blond rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Hey, I grew seven inches! Give me a break! I see you're still a prick."

"Well, you know me. I didn't think you'd come." Riku admitted.

"ROXAS!"

The blond barely had enough time to lift his head before Sora tackled him to the ground. There were squeals of excitement from both boys and everyone gathered around to see.

"I missed you!" Sora cried, hugging his brother as tight as he could. Roxas wrapped his arms around the brunette and they sat quietly like that for several minutes. When they released each other, it was a little reluctantly.

"I think the older we grow, the less we look alike." Roxas glanced between himself and his twin. Sora laughed and shook his head, "I think the less we see each other, the less we look alike."

The blond dropped his head guiltily before smiling again, "Well, I guess we'll just have to change that, huh?"

"Hell yes." Sora laughed.

X.

It only took several hours for most of the party to be drunk. I personally hadn't touched a drop since I got there, but I couldn't say the same for the rest of them. Roxas had a few sips here and there, but he was perfectly sober still. Hayner and Selphie were making out on the couch, which was gross, and Tidus was coming close to falling down the stairs. I found that watching drunk people could be quite entertaining though.

Roxas seemed to be enjoying it too. He laughed every time someone staggered by.

"Where's Sora?" I shouted above the music.

He scrunched his eyebrows and asked, "What?"

"Sora!" I shouted again.

He hesitated before answering, "I can't hear you!" I laughed and pulled him outside, where it was much quieter, "I said, where's Sora?"

He suddenly peered in to the house curiously before shrugging, "Maybe he got tired and went home? Come on, let's go check... it'll be a good chance to show you my old house."

I followed him through the dark island, shivering at the breeze the ocean presented.

He suddenly stopped and patted a palm tree," Here it is. The steps to my room."

I laughed and he quickly snapped a hand to my mouth, covering it, "Shh! My parents are probably in the house."

"Sorry." I whispered and waited as he began scrambling up the tree. I tried to climb up quietly, but I wasn't as experienced as Roxas. He had to help me through the window, but I smiled once my feet reached soft carpet. He searched the walls expertly for the light switch and his face dropped once it was flicked on.

"Wow." He breathed, "They haven't moved a thing."

I examined the room, noticing how it looked as if someone still inhabited it. I guessed things hadn't shifted once since Rox left. There was still a magazine left open on the desk and the bed was unmade. I noticed the hamper still had a pair of pants thrown in them and one of the dresser drawers was half open. Roxas ran his hand along everything, trying to take it all in.

I left him to his room alone because, well, he looked like he needed it. Instead, I tip-toed in to a wooden hallway and tried to be quiet as I examined all the rooms. Eventually I came to a shut door and wondered if it was Sora's. If so, he was probably sleeping. Turning the knob quietly and pushing on the door, it softly popped open in to a half lit room.

My heart nearly stopped in shock as I took in Riku's naked back poking out of the covers. I gasped and stumbled. The silver headed boy heard me and jumped off his brunette friend, "Olette!" He stared wide-eyed, surprised.

Roxas came jogging down the hallway, "Olette, is something wrong?" He froze in the door way as well, staring at the two nude boys in his brother's bed before snarling, "Are you two fucking crazy? Do you not remember why I was kicked out?"

Sora frowned and pulled the covers further up his body, "Yeah, but Mum and Dad aren't home."

Roxas shook his head, "Still! Why would you pull this shit if you've already seen what happens when you get caught?" He calmed down a little before taking a deep breath, "How long have you two been..." He trailed off and looked between them.

Sora was the one to answer, "About a year."

"A YEAR?" Roxas exploded again, "You two really are dumb, aren't you? What? Did my screw up and being kicked out of the house, because of the same thing you're doing right now, persuade you two to be together? How fucking stupid are you two?"

Riku's eyes narrowed and he growled a little, "Watch it, Roxas." He warned. Sora pouted at the fight that looked ready to erupt, "Please guys, settle down."

They ignored him and Roxas threw up his arms, "And you, Sora! I thought you hated that we were gay! What the hell made you change your mind?"

The brunette shrank under his brother's shout, "I've always liked Riku. It just... took a bit of persuading for me to admit it."

"And I can only imagine who did the persuading." Roxas rolled his eyes, looking angrily at Riku.

"Roxas." I whispered, placing a hand on his elbow, "Why does this make you so mad? You should be happy for them."

He took in my words before sighing, "I just wish you would have told me, Sora. We're brothers... twins. We used to tell each other everything."

"Sorry." Sora apologized, "But then again... when's the last time you told me anything about your life?"

The front door slammed open and we all froze. There was sudden pounding on the steps and before I knew what was happening, Roxas grabbed my wrist and yanked us in to the closet, pulling the shudder doors closed.

"Sora? Are you home yet?" A woman, that I could only guess was Roxas' mum, called out as she entered the hallway. Roxas and I peeked through the cracks in the door, watching the other boys sit in too big of a shock to move. Roxas groaned quietly, "Come on, Riku... _move_."

The door clicked open and the twin's mother stepped in, "Sora, I saw Riku's shoes. Is he staying ov-" She stopped mid sentence and stared at her son and his best friend.

Everything froze while she tried to put the pieces together.

"You guys..." Her face switched from complete shock to realization, "You're..."

The boys began scrambling around in a frenzy, trying to pull some clothes on before getting out of the bed. Sora's mum was still in too much shock to actually yell. Her facing was turning purple and I think it was scaring Sora to death, "Mum..." He pleaded, trying to reason with her. She shook her head and turned away, "I'm not going to shout about this. The rules that applied to Roxas apply to you as well."

She left the room, dangerously calm, and went back downstairs. As soon as she was gone, Sora flew through the door and followed her down the steps. I held my breath as he began begging her to reconsider.

"Sora, please! You know how I feel about boys like you!" She shouted.

He whimpered, "No, Mum, don't kick me out. Where will I go?"

"Where'd Roxas go?" She mumbled before stomping her way down the stairs.

"Mom!" The brunette called, fumbling on his way back up the steps.

Roxas kicked the closet open and rushed out to comfort his twin. I stepped out behind him, a little shooken up. Everything had happened so fast. A half hour ago, we were laughing at Tidus for falling off a swing set.

"Roxas." Sora sobbed, "Where do we go?"

The blond helped him to his feet and wiped his tears, "Don't cry, Sora." Riku stood awkwardly in the corner, watching the brothers embrace. I nudged him gently, "Let's pack some of his things up."

The silver headed boy agreed and we went about the room, grabbing various things we knew he'd want, while the brunette tried to control himself.

We threw everything in to a couple bags and dropped them out the window. Roxas grabbed Riku and brought them face to face, "I'll take Sora to Kairi's for the night. I'm sure you have to get home to deal with a couple things." Riku closed his eyes, knowing that his parents were probably being called at that very moment.

I helped Sora outside and down the tree. He didn't speak the entire way to Kairi's and I wondered what was going through his head. Roxas walked on our other side, rubbing the brunette's back comfortingly. Together we got the boy in Kairi's room, sleeping soundly with said-girl watching over him.

"We'll be back, okay?" Roxas backed out the door, "Sometime tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah!" Kairi ushered us out, going in to her own mother mode.

I followed the blond out of the sandy yard and back on the boardwalk. It was only 11:30, so we were in no rush to get home.

"That was so... unexpected." I admitted, shoving my hands in my pockets. Roxas agreed and shook his head, "I honestly never thought Riku and my brother would become... well, you know."

"Yeah." I bit my lip, "So what happens now? For them?"

"Well, I'm sure we have room for Sora in either our apartment or the girl's. I don't think Riku's parents will honestly care about this whole ordeal, seeing as they know Riku's gay. But I can't imagine the boy will want to stay home and let my twin be so far away."

"You're probably right."

We grew silent for a short time after that, both of us reflecting on the past half hour. Slowly, we were making our way back down the beach and near the water. It got a bit chillier here than it did in Twilight Town, so I wrapped my arms around my knees and sat. Roxas sat next to me, the cold seeming to have no effect on him.

"What do you think made Sora change his mind?" I asked.

The blond shrugged, "No clue. People work in weird ways."

I had to agree with that, thinking of all the people I knew, "Yeah, that's true." He smiled before shaking his head, "Aerith says that she's pretty sure of why I turned out gay. She's still trying to determine all the other boys, but she's confident on her reasoning about me."

"What'd she say?" I asked, pressing a finger to my eyebrow.

"Well, she explained that when we're young, like, from when we're born to until we turn seven, we feel an attraction or, sexual drive, towards our parent of the opposite sex. When we turn seven, it ends. Now, I'm not sure if that's really true, but Aerith minored in Psychology, so I'll take her word for it. She also says that since my mum ignored me when I was little, and my father had more interaction in my life, I probably didn't care for my mother and leaned more towards my father. That way, growing up, I had a stronger reaction towards boys. It's just her theory, but I think it makes pretty good sense."

I laughed and scrunched my face up at the same time, "That's strange."

"It is, isn't it?" He laughed too.

We shifted back in to silence again. I lay me head back in to the soft sand and stared up at the stars above. They were much easier to see here than back home.

Roxas did the same, laying back and bringing his arms behind his head, "Would you like to hear more now?"

I grinned eagerly and turned my head to look at him, "Please."

He rolled his eyes, not actually irritated, "Of course you would."

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	16. All to Myself

**Yay! I gotta see Avenged Sevenfold recently! And I saw Synyster Gates with his hair not down and long for the first time! And guess what? I realized if he had red hair and two tear drop tattoos, he'd look just like Axel! Now when I think of Axel, Syn instantly comes to mind... soo if you don't know who he is... here's a pic: . isn't he the hottest man alive? And here I thought Jacoby was sexy....**

**Mkay, on to bigger and better things (okay, I lied... nothing is better than Synyster!) but here's chapter 15! Enjoy and Review! **

**And if you haven't checked out my new story, Prayer of the Children, you should do that! Review too! It's hard to know when ppl like something if they never let me know! lol**

* * *

**Chapter 15  
All to myself**

**Take me  
From this day  
Save me  
From the sun ray**

**Some day  
Something's got to get on my nerves  
I can't wait for the day  
That I can let my concerns  
Go of me can't you see  
It's how I feel in my mind  
I can move I can hear  
I can see why don't you feel me**

**Roxas**

"Are you coming with us, then?" Sora gestured to himself and Riku.

I hugged my knees a little bit tighter and glanced to the boys. Sora was so happy he was practically glowing, but Riku seemed to be suffering in a silent misery. I knew it pained him to be alone with the brunette, but I had plans tonight, and I couldn't save him.

"Well, Sora... I kind of have plans with Axel."

"Of course you do... when don't you?" He snickered and messed up my hair good-naturedly. I pouted and tried to fix my blond spikes in to some kind of order again, before giving up and deciding to glare at my twin instead. He shrugged it off and pulled Riku away by the hand. Poor kid.

I sat alone for a good ten minutes or so, before I heard Axel slinking down the beach, letting out a string of curses every time he tripped.

"You're extremely loud, did you know that?" I asked him once he sat beside me.

He laughed loudly. That deep-throated, happy laugh that he hadn't owned when we were younger, "Hey... I'm a pretty graceful guy... I'm just not used to this sand crap."

I rolled my eyes slowly, "Uh huh."

He frowned before shrugging and standing, "Let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously as I stood with him. It didn't even matter where we were going, he knew I'd follow him anywhere.

"Just for a walk." I trailed after him up the beach and on to the boardwalk. We entered Twilight Town at a brisk pace, letting the time pass silently, but pleasantly.

I didn't question where we were going until he pulled me on to the train.

"Remember that old hut you stayed in? Your first night in Traverse Town?"

"I think so. Why?"

He didn't answer me as the train lurched to a start. I poked him, "Why?"

"Just wondering." He sighed. I nodded and leaned closer, so our shoulders were touching. Axel turned to smile at me before looking out the window.

I noticed an older woman staring at us from further down the cart and slowly I leaned back away from the redhead. Axel either didn't notice or didn't say anything.

It wasn't that I really cared if anyone saw me "with" a guy. I just didn't want my mum to hear about it.

My thoughts were broken as the train rolled to a stop. I swiftly jumped down the steps after Axel, seeing the tall gates of Traverse Town looming ahead. It gave me shivers. I hadn't been here in a long time.

Once we were inside the city, it was as if someone had stolen the sun and all its warmth, instead replacing it with darkness and small puffs of mist that were released when you breathed. I felt like something was watching me from every corner, waiting for Axel to leave my side for only a second. Let's face it... I was scared shitless.

I had seen the types of people this city housed and bred. I'd also lived here long enough to know there was little happiness. Sure, there was the occasional exceptions like Axel, Demyx, Namine, and Aerith, but still. It was not a fun place.

"Stop thinking so hard, Roxy. You'll hurt yourself." Axel ruffled my hair. I retaliated with one of my infamous death glares and put my hair back to order.

"Idiot." I muttered, shivering at the cold. The redhead wrapped a warm arm around my shoulders, "I probably should have had you grab something warmer."

Together we shifted through the flame crested doorway, in which I almost coughed at the sudden mustiness.

"Why are we back here?" I asked.

He shrugged, grabbing my hand to pull me on to the floating rocks, "Dunno."

I accepted that answer without protest, holding on to Axel as we stepped from stone to stone. The hut was roomier than when I had last been here. A fire was blazing in the fireplace and it was a lot less dusty.

"I'm actually living here now." Axel announced, feeding the fire more wood.

"Really? You moved out of the hotel?" I searched through the few books laying on the table, glancing back at him every few seconds.

"Yeah, finally. I'd been there entirely too long."

I silently agreed, turning to see him in the firelight, "How are you eating?"

His answer was nothing more than a shrug and he turned his back to me. I gazed carefully at him, taking in his thin profile, "You haven't been eating, have you?"

"I'm just a little short on money and things right now, Rox." He sighed. I stepped closer to him and encircled him in my arms, hugging him from behind. He leaned back in to my embrace and we stood there for several minutes.

Eventually he broke the hug to tug on my arm, leading me towards the bed. We shifted under the covers and moved close. This time he wrapped his arms around me and we lay like this for a long time. It was nice.

X.

"Ever wonder if there's other worlds out there?" Axel asked me, jumping from his stance on the bench.

I shrugged, staring up at the dark sky, "Possibly. Sora always asked me that too."

The redhead nodded and jumped back on the bench. Several people were lingering around the golden monument, watching him.

"Ax, get down! People are staring." I scolded him quietly. He looked back at me playfully, a grin forming on his lips. "

"Aw... is little Roxy embarased?" He cooed, reaching down to pinch my chin. I swatted his hand away and stood up, "Frankly... yes, yes I am." I began walking away.

He laughed and leaped off the bench again, skipping down the road behind me, "Aw, come on Rox!" He sang, skipping ahead of me so he could turn around and skip backwards.

"You're going to trip." I warned him. He rolled his eyes and stopped to grab my hands, "Is this embarasing?" He called out, twirling us in a circle.

I gasped as he pushed me away then pulled me forward in a crazy dance. A couple bystanders stopped to watch and snicker. I could feel my face going red.

"Axel stop!" I cried out as he whirled me around like a ballerina.

"Okay, fine." He pouted, pulling me to an abrupt stop. I almost threw up momentarily, but held it in and managed an angry glare.

"So what does that rate on the embarasing scale?" He smiled.

I shook my head and continued walking away.

I made him sleep with a pillow between us that night.

X.

I think I awoke to the sound of an owl. It came from outside, probably on the roof somewhere, and made me jump. My sudden movement woke Axel, who in turn hit his head on the wall. I burst out laughing, bringing a hand to my mouth to stifle myself. Axel pouted, rubbing the back of his head, "That really hurt, Roxy." I managed to bring my laughter down to just a smile and poked him in the nose, "It was funny."

He rolled his eyes and smiled himself, "Happy Birthday."

"Huh?" I sat up. Was it really my birthday all ready?

"Yeah, silly. Don't you know your own birthday?"

"I do... but..." I looked around the room desperately, looking for a calender, "I just lost track of time."

"Well good thing you have me huh?" Axel puffed out his chest before chuckling and sliding off the bed, "Now hurry up and get ready... I've got the whole day planned out! Besides, it's about four in the morning, I need to sneak you back in your own house before your rents wake."

X.

When Axel said he had the whole day planned out, he literally meant it. We started off with light breakfast in a cafe on the edge of Twilight Town, then we went for a walk along the main street. After that we headed to Riku's house to meet up with him and my brother. Apparently Riku had made us all lunch and we sat to that at about one o'clock. When we finished, Riku gave me a small present, (which turned out to be a new skateboard.)

"Everything to your liking so far?" Axel grabbed my hand and pulled me on to the train.

I yawned, "Of course... though... you're wearing me out already."

"Good, because I planned some relaxation next!"

"Relaxation?" I asked, confused. What could that mean? He simply nodded and began chatting with the person across the cart from us.

I stared out the window and watched the passing trees. Could I really have forgotten my birthday? How distracted had I been lately?

Axel nudged my arm, "This is our stop." I followed him down the aisle and off the train. We were in a busy area of town, one I'd never been to before. I had to hold on to Axel's shirt to keep from losing him.

After a couple blocks, I felt the redhead shove me through two glass doors and in to the lobby of a building I'd never seen. It smelt funny.

"Axel where are-"

"Hi, welcome to Twilight Spa and Salon. Did you two have a reservation made all ready?"

"A spa?" My jaw dropped, "You brought me to a spa?"

He ignored me and continued to discuss reservations with the worker.

"Axel?" I asked. We were walking down some back hallways, trailing behind a second worker. The redhead glanced to me with a 'huh?'

"How did you manage to pay for all this? Is this why you haven't been eating?"

Axel coughed and linked our hands together, pushing the subject away, "So when do you want to do presents?"

"Presents?" I questioned, dumbfounded, "Haven't you given me enough things today?"

"Not possible."

--

"This hurts, yet feels so good." I sighed, letting the lady massage my stiff back. Axel nodded in agreement, "I've never felt this good." I could hear the ladies snicker, trying to be quiet.

"You two really good friends?" One asked. I chose not to answer, but Axel jumped right in with a, "He's my boyfriend."

They smiled at each other before going back to work.

"Idiot-"

* * *

**Olette**

_Ring, Ring, Ring!_

I nearly jumped a foot in the air, looking wildly around for the offending beeps. Roxas quickly checked his own phone before pointing to me, "Must be yours."

I snatched my cell out of my pocket, flipping it open. It read 'Mom'.

"Shit." I whispered, accepting the call and slowly bringing it to my face, "H-hello?"

"WHERE ARE YOU!?"

I flinched at the yelling, holding the phone away from my head, "I'm over on the islands, Mum."

"It is 2:30 in the morning!" She was nearly hysterical, "I come upstairs to check on you and you're not in bed! Do you know how scary that was?"

I swallowed, "I'm sorry, I just lost track of time is all."

"I want you home, now!" With that, she hung up. I clapped my phone shut, standing, "I really need to go." He nodded, completely understanding, "That's fine. We'll continue whenever."

"Thanks Rox." I smiled, turning to sprint down the beach.

He called out a goodbye, but I was in too big of a hurry to say anything back. Mum was going to kill me.

As soon as I walked in the door, the first thing I heard was, "Go to your room now! We'll talk about this first thing in the morning."

I nodded solemnly, making my way to my room. Before I walked inside, I could hear my parents arguing about appropriate punishment. Fuck my life.

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	17. Lullabies

**Here we are, Chapter 16. I think, at least. I should probably check and make sure. I don't know if any of my other stories will be updated before christmas but if that's so, everyone have a fun holiday!**

**I really need to get ready for work though, so I need to stop typing. Everyone enjoy!**

**And, oh yes, REVIEW! Yay!**

* * *

**Chapter 16  
Lullabies**

**Dead - Like a candle you burned out;  
Spill the wax over the spaces left in place of angry words.  
Scream - To be heard, like you needed any more attention;  
Throw the bottle,** **break the door, and disappear.**

**Sing me to sleep,  
I'll see you in my dreams  
Waiting to say, "I miss you. I'm so sorry."**

**Forever's never seemed so long;  
As when you're not around it's like a piece of me is missing.  
I could have learned so much from you,  
But what's left now?  
Don't you realize you showed this family a world of pain?  
Can't you see there could have been a happy ending & we let go?**

The next morning, I woke in a haze. It was nearly 11:00 and my parents had yet to come up. Rubbing my sleep deprived eyes and quickly checking my phone messages, I sent a reply to Roxas' text of "How'd it go?" and quickly pulled on a hoodie. Taking the stairs two at a time, I nearly tripped reaching the floor. Voices were discussing something in the kitchen and I took a deep breath before entering.

"Olette." Was all my father said. Both my parents stood at the same time, glancing quickly at each other before sighing simultaneously... it was a litte creepy.

"Now... you know we love you..." My mother began.

"And you're usually very mature and responsible..." My father continued.

"That's why..." Back to mum.

"We're not punishing you. Something tells us this wasn't a first time thing." My father finished.

I stared stupidly between them, astonishment freezing me to my spot.

"Sound fair?" Mum asked.

I nodded mutely, backing slowly out of the kitchen, "So I'm going to go hang with Pence... that's okay?"

"Sure!" Dad smiled, reaching for the paper. I darted out the room before they could change their minds and ran for my phone. I was probably dressed, showered, and out the door within fifteen minutes. I really was scared the rents would reassess the crime and determine a more fitting punishment.

Pushing those thoughts out of my head, I bounded silently down the street, grabbing my skateboard out of the bushes and riding towards Pence's. He was still sleeping, I'm sure, but I hadn't seen him in what seemed like ages, so a little sleep deprivation on his part was the least of my worries.

I passed several people I knew on the way and we exchanged polite greetings before I rolled away and onward.

Pence's mum answered the front door and a smiled as I filtered in.

"You might need to wake him up." She warned as I ran up the steps.

I didn't even bother to knock as I quietly slipped in his room and studied the big bundle under his covers. Butterflies were forming in my stomach, making me suddenly nervous, and I swallowed. He didn't stir as I inched closer and I watched his sleeping form.

He looked very at peace. Like this sleep was the best he's ever had. I really didn't want to disturb it, but at the same time... I was bored.

I settled on watching him from his desk, taking in the way he rolled over when he felt my gaze, and the way he sighed deeply every few minutes.

I smiled to myself, shifting on the chair to get a better look. His hair was all over the place, a kink marring the straight strands that his bandanna usually covered. I couldn't help but giggled as he unconsciously swatted at his face.

"I never said that!" He suddenly spoke in his sleep. I nearly jumped, but instead leaned closer, "What'd you never say?"

A grin formed on his face as he popped open an eye, "Olette?"

"Yes?" I giggled.

He shook his head and sat up, rubbing his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

I allowed him several minutes of privacy to change and clean up. When he was done we both sat on floor, watching T.V.

"How'd your weekend go?" He asked politely. I shrugged and grinned, "A little strange... yours?"

"Fun, I suppose." He answered, leaning back against his bed, "Nothing too exciting."

We stayed like that all afternoon, sitting lazily on his floor, alternating between Spongebob and True Life.

X.

"So class..." Yuffie jumped off her desk, "I have a surprise!"

Nearly every student leaned forward in their desks, grins beginning to form. Yuffie grabbed up a piece of chalk and began writing smoothly on the board. Desks were practically tipping forward in everyone's attempt to view the unreadable words.

The ninja turned around and threw up her arms, "BOOK REPORT!"

A collection of groans and complaints sounded throughout the room and the crazy teacher sighed, "Yes, yes, I know. They're a pain in the ass, trust me, I grade them. But the school is now requiring the dumb and pointless pieces of crap to be written every semester. Sorry!"

I twirled my pen thoughtfully, waiting for the hands to raise and the questions to be answered.

Riku was first, smoothly lifting his arm in to the air and sitting patiently as Yuffie called on him, "Yes, shiny-one?"

He rolled his eyes, ignoring the snickers around him, "Can it be over something we already read?"

"Sure, sure! It can be over Captain Underpants for all I care. Just get it done." She ended the conversation with a plop in to her desk chair and rolling it across the room to Cloud's desk.

"That Cloud kid... he sure is cute, huh?" The girl at my back poked me.

I glanced back at her, realizing we'd never spoken before, "Right, uh... sure."

"Too bad he's taken... and by a boy no less." She flipped her short hair over her shoulder and leaned forward.

"Um... yeah, too bad."

"Same with Riku. He's so hot! I'm sure Sora's all over that though."

"Why would you say that?" I asked, turning in my seat.

She shrugged and glanced over at the silver-headed kid, "Everyone that's known them since the sixth grade could say that. Even if they weren't a couple, they're such good friends, I'm not sure a girl would ever come in to either of their lives."

"You're probably right." I tried to sound not-obvious.

"You know... what is it about those islands and breeding gay boys? No one has forgotten Roxas and his runaway with Axel, the pyromanic hottie." She smiled to herself, probably dreaming up images of the redhead.

"I'm not sure." I turned back around.

"My name's Luna." She offered.

"Olette." I replied.

I turned back around so we could shake hands briefly, ignoring the side look Riku gave us. "Riku is so bad-ass." Luna smirked, staring longingly at my older friend.

"Yeah." I answered stupidly. She looked back to me. It was pretty obvious she had a crush on the kid.

I smiled wickedly and called the silver-headed boy's name. Riku looked up at me, raising a single eyebrow that clearly asked 'yes?' I motioned for him to come over and heard Luna's quick intake of breath.

"Olette, what are you doing?"

"Introducing you." I smiled, or at least humoring her a little bit. Riku kneeled at our desks, flipping his silver bangs out of his eyes, "What's up?"

"Riku..." I gave him a certain look, "This is Luna."

He watched me a moment longer, finally catching my meaning. "Luna," He took her hand softly, mesmerizing her with his brilliant smile, "Nice to meet you." She giggled awkwardly and I thought she might faint. Riku dazzled her for several more minutes before explaining that he needed to talk with Selphie and stepped away politely.

"Oh my god!" Luna smacked a hand to her mouth, "Riku Jou just talked to me. Now if only you could convince Tidus to do the same."

I rolled my eyes and began to gather my things. The bell would ring soon.

X.

The final bell rang and I made my way to my locker. The hallways were always too crowded to shift smoothly through, but I discovered if I followed closely enough behind Kairi, a path was clear. She walked me to my locker, both of us in silence.

"So Riku seemed okay today, but where's Sora?" I asked casully. She checked around us quickly before sighing, "At my house. He's completely torn. Riku's not doing so hot either... he's just a good actor. They've hardly spoken the last couple days, you know? Ever since it happened."

"Seriously?" I finally got my locker open, "Poor boys."

"No matter what I say, it's not helping. Something's grown kind of awkward between us." She frowned, staring openly at Riku, who was strolling out of the building.

"I wish I could help." And I really did, but this was between the trio, which didn't include me.

She thanked me quickly before leaving for her own locker. I shoved what I needed in to my bookbag and headed out the main doors. I was a little startled to see Cloud waiting patiently by the doors, "Heading to the apartment?" He asked, dangling his keys. I nodded nervously, following him to his big and scary bike. Several heads turned to watch us, but it wasn't until the motor roared to life that everyone on the front lawn of the school stopped to stare. He smiled reassuringly and we were suddenly flying out of the parking lot. I gripped on to the blond's sweatshirt tightly, squeezing my eyes shut.

The trip was made in silence, not that we could have heard each other over the wind, and I finally relaxed in to his back.

Aerith was arriving at the apartments at the same time as us and she smiled eagerly, "Olette!" She called, waiting for us to come to a stop before helping me off the back end, "Are you staying for supper?"

"Sure." I whispered, steadying my feet beneath me. Cloud strode past us, a slight smirk stretching his lips. "Show off." Aerith shook her head. We climbed the steps to the boy's apartment, stopping in the doorway when we realized Cloud had frozen in the front room.

The room was different this time. It took me several moments to realize why.

Leon was back. Standing dangerously in front of the couch, his eyes locked on Cloud, and Cloud's locked on him.

What happened next was enough to make me jump back, Aerith doing the exact same thing.

Cloud punched Leon across the face.

The brunette's blood scattered across the room, causing me to force a startled scream back down. Aerith gasped at my side, taking a step forward. I immediately grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back against the wall. Leon was leaning away, reaching one hand up to feel his nose. I barely had time to blink before the couch overturned and the boys began fighting. Roxas appeared at the top of the stairs, sliding to a stop to watch from above.

"The fuck?" I saw Rox mutter, scrambling down the stairs to break up the fight. Cloud easily pulled out of the fight to push Roxas out, "Stay away." He warned, returning back to the fight in time to dodge a punch that would have landed on his cheek. Roxas ran around them, motioning for us to leave. Aerith and I did so quickly, letting the blond follow us out.

"Let's head to my apartment." Aerith suggested, unlocking her own door and letting us in. We settled at the kitchen table while Aerith began making dinner. Yuffie arrived several moments later, staring confusedly at us, "What's up?"

"Leon's back." Roxas told her, leaning back in his chair.

A loud crash sounded from the other room right at that moment and Yuffie glanced back at the direction of the other apartment, "Oh." She waited a second before kicking off her shoes and settling on the couch, "Give them an hour, maybe two, and they'll be sexing it up, making up for all the bad things that they did to each other."

Aerith gave her a scolding look and returned to the food, "What is it with boys using violence to solve every problem?"

"Not very boy does that." Roxas answered her, laying his head on the table.

"Oh, please." Yuffie's head peeked over the top of the couch, "You're right up there in that list. You're practically the leader."

"Shut up." He growled, flipping her off. Aerith gasped and slapped him in the back of the head, "Roxas!"

I took in the scene warily, wondering again how I became friends with this strange and unusual group of teenagers and adults, who never really grew up properly. Where had I met them all again?

The sound of glass shattering brought everyone to attention and Roxas seemed to be deciding on whether or not to intervene. Yuffie shook her head, whistling low, "I hope that didn't just bash over Cloud's head. We can't afford to get him stitches again." Everyone around me murmered their agreement and I widened my eyes in alarm, "Wouldn't they be considered, like, an abusive relationship?"

The ninja laughed and stood, "They're just being the dumb, stoic, violent boys they are. They've been like this since the day they first hooked up."

"I see." I poked my twitching eyebrow.

"You guys can go outside or upstairs or something, if you want." Aerith pulled a pan out of the cupboard, "Dinner's going to be an hour or so."

Roxas looked to me, smoothing down his blond hair that was becoming very long, "Sure. Sound okay Olette?"

"Yup." I jumped to my feet, following through the living room and out the front door. He lead me to a run down play ground that was centered between the apartments and the gates to Traverse Town. The looming darkness that the town presented actually frightened me. I still didn't understand why it was so dark over there. Roxas followed my gaze and sighed, "Creepy, huh?" I nodded my head softly, to transfixed to look away.

"Some day I'll take you inside." He promised, sitting on a nearby swing.

"Really?" I broke my trance and sat on the swing next to him.

"I'll even show you the hut."

My eyes widened a little bit and I swallowed. I didn't know if I should be frightened or excited.

"I can't wait." I squeaked.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	18. You Always Believed

**I wrote this chapter in less than an hour last night lol. It's been planned planned out in my head for a long time!**

**Good news! [For me, anyway] I just bought myself two more Avenged Sevenfold CD's! Now I can listen to Dear God on repeat for HOURS! Yay! Seriously, if their not your favorite band, they should be! Just kidding lol. But this_ is_ actually good news for my neigbors, because now instead of blaring the album The Dream by In This Moment, I can switch it up!**

**4 days til X-MAS!**

**Alright, well enjoy this really early update! And Review!**

* * *

Chapter 17  
_You Always Believed_

**I think back on the years we shared  
All the times you stood by me  
All the pain you wiped away  
All the things you ever said  
I think back how you carried me  
And you never once have doubted me  
And you were my  
My hero through it all**

**I thank you for the moments of your life  
And never giving up on me**

**And you held me through it all  
And you never let me fall  
And you let me fly away  
And you always believed**

**I think back how you overcame  
All the times you could have slipped  
The way you fought the winds of change  
All the times your wings were clipped  
You taught me how to reach the stars  
You taught me how to heal my scars  
And you were my  
My hero through it all**

**I thank you for the moments of your life  
And never giving up on me**

**And you held me through it all  
And you never let me fall  
And you let me fly away  
And you always believed in me**

**Roxas**

Three words were on my mind.

Oh. My. God.

I was currently standing pathetically next to a flag pole, maybe thirty feet or more from the middle school, and waiting nervously for Axel to reappear from the dark doorways. He'd been gone exactly twenty four minutes and he told me to take off if he wasn't back in exactly thirty. I could hear the alarm going off somewhere deep in the building, alerting the police of the intrusion. But so far there were no sirens. Axel had been right when he said it'd take a while for the police to get there. Cars didn't get around Twilight Town very well.

A sudden scraping of metal against cement caught my attention and I whipped around curiously to the doors of the school. I spotted Axel's backside slowly coming through the doors, his arm muscles rippling with his effort. Next I saw a sudden red blur, that wasn't Axel's hair, come through the doorway.

He actually got it.

Let me tell you right now, I wasn't serious when I asked him to do it. I was joking. JOKING!

"Come on blondie!" He smirked, tugging one last time and pulling the locker free of the building.

"How the fuck..." I whispered, staggering back a step. How did someone steal a locker?

Sirens suddenly went off in the distance and I scowled as the redhead stopped to light a cigarette. "Hurry up!" I hissed, running over to him.

He took a quick inhale of the stick before yanking it out of his mouth and shoving it in mine, "Hold that!" He told me cheerfully, picking up the locker and balancing it on his shoulders, "Now, let's go."

I choked on the sudden dirt taste in my mouth, nearly gagging. Axel was walking easily in front of me, as if there wasn't a heavy metal box on his shoulders. The sirens were getting louder and I glanced back, "Shouldn't we move a little faster?"

He nodded his head towards his cigarette, waiting for me to place it in his mouth for a moment before taking it back. I tried to take another inhale of it, this time, no coughing followed.

"Nah," He kept up his slow and steady pace, "They'll be so preoccupied with actually being in the building, they won't even see us."

I hoped he was right as the cop car slid to a stop behind us at the school. I curiously looked back and watched every single cop charge in to the building. So he was right.

"We'll need to hide this baby for now, but eventually you can put in your room."

"Where are we going to hide it?" I asked, glancing up at the red locker.

"We'll bury it." He shrugged, making his way towards Destiny Islands.

Bury it?

X.

Burying that thing wasn't as hard as I'd expected. It only took several minutes to create a pit large enough, then place it carefully in before covering it up.

"I can't believe you stole that."

"You wanted it." He reminded me. I rolled my eyes and brushed the sand from my hands.

"I was joking."

"Who jokes about wanting me to steal a locker?" Axel stood and patted the sand off his knees.

"Who actually does it?" I asked, setting my hands on my hip.

"Me, obviously." He shrugged, inspecting his work one final time

"Well, despite you breaking in to the school, today was perfect," I reached over and squeezed Axel's hand. And it really had been.

The redhead didn't answer me, instead squeezing back. We let our hands drop between us as we turned towards the beach, a natural instinct. It was nearing midnight, and the island was expecially bright with a full moon hovering above us. I could hear the waves lapping against the shore and sighed with the happy feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach.

Then Axel stumbled in the sand a bit and I couldn't help the snort of laughter that ensued.

"What, is that funny?" He joked, stopping to throw me over his shoulder just as we got to the boardwalk. I stifled my scream of surprise, beginning to laugh again as he carried me down the beach.

I kicked my legs wildly as we got closer to the water, while Axel chuckled and cradled me in his arms, "What? Afraid to get wet?" He smirked, lowering me towards the foamy waves.

"You jerk!" I punched his shoulder good-naturedly, trying to stay dry. He laughed again, kicking off his shoes and stepping cautiously in to the shallow ocean. I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck, like a cat about to be dunked in a pool. "Put me down!"

He turned serious for a moment, extending his arms as if he was about to drop me, "Put you down?"

"No, no, no, in the _sand_ you idiot!"

The redhead pulled one of his long legs in an arch around him, skimming his toes against the bottom, "I do believe there's sand under there."

Rolling my eyes, I swiftly swung my foot around him, kicking him in the back of the knee and forcing him to lose his footing. He crashed down on to his back, eyes widening at the sudden water surrounding his legs and waist. I landed on top of him, everything dry but my knees. Batting my eyes playfully, I put on my best puppy face, pouting my bottom lip, "Oops?"

He smiled one of his half-grins, reaching a wet and sandy hand up to push my blond bangs out of my face. "You're beautiful," he murmured, nuzzling his face in my neck. I shivered at the tickling feeling, smiling has he brought my face to his. His mouth tasted like part smoke and part fruit. It was a strange, but fitting, combination.

My mind must have went blank for the next thirty minutes or so because suddenly he was on top of me with his shirt was off, while mine was bring pulled up, and his hands were traveling under the belt of my pants. I bit my lip to keep back the groan that was dangerously close to releasing, and threw my head back as his fingers found their destination. I could feel his teeth biting in to my shoulder, the pain going unnoticed. I was completely immobilized by the pleasure; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't raise my hands or move my legs. All I was capable of was arching my back and trying to grip the sand with my tense fingers.

His hot breath was skimming across the skin of my stomach and I felt another wave of warmth travel through my body towards my stomach. It was addicting, the way he moved around my body. I never wanted it to end.

"_ROXAS!_"

There was a sudden flooding of light above us, and despite the fact that I knew my life was in the process if being ruined, I whimpered as Axel's body was pulled off of my own. The glorious warmth and pleasure being taken from me.

Regaining my common sense, I let my eyes fly open rapidly, desperate to see what I already knew was there.

My mum.

She was holding a flashlight in her right hand with a death grip, her eyes not leaving Axel, who was currently being held around the arms by my father. Axel could have easily pushed the man away from him, but he was in so much shock, he did nothing but watch me. I swallowed and pulled my pants up from where they were precariously sitting close to falling off.

"Mum..." I began, trying to stand up. She shifted her death gaze to me, which were in themselves close to setting on fire.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" She screamed, throwing her arms up in the air. The light from the flashlight went up as well, and I blinked as I was nearly blinded with the reflection of Axel's twin emeralds.

"WHERE DID I GO WRONG?"

I wasn't even punished yet and already the tears were starting to flow down my face. It wasn't because I was afraid she'd beat me, or call me a disgrace to the family, or anything else that could hurt me. I was afraid she'd ban me from seeing Axel.

"TELL ME, ROXAS? WHERE DID I GO WRONG?"

I tried to swallow but it wouldn't go down. More tears were pouring out, and I shook my head, "I don't know."

I glanced over at the redhead and he was staring strangely at me, almost as if he was confused. But then again, I guess he had every right to be.

My dad finally let go of his arms, stepping towards my mum. She was crying.

"Leave. I don't care where to, I don't care what you take. Just stay out." She turned to walk along the shore, my father at her side, and stopped after a few steps, "You know? This proves it."

I knew she was waiting for me to ask what it proved, but I already knew what she had to say, and couldn't bring myself to ask. Instead I turned away, towards Axel.

"You were never my son." She hissed, finally leaving.

I went stiff. Even though I knew it was coming, it hurt.

"Come on." Axel whispered, helping me towards the house. We went around front and up the stairs. Sora was peaking through his door, Riku next to him. I was pushed on to my bed, sitting uselessly as Axel began filtering through the room to pack my bag for me. He looked around, frustrated, and left. When he returned, Sora was with him and together they filled a few bags for me. I still sat in stunned silence.

Suddenly Axel was picking me up and setting me on my feet. He gave me the smallest bag to carry and together we left my room forever. But the only thought running through my head was: this would never happen to Sora.

X.

Somewhere along the way, I had begun crying again. I didn't want to feel so weak, but no matter how hard I tried, the tears kept coming. I tried to put myself in other's shoes. Axel had been homeless since he was a preteen, right? Why was this such a big deal?

Despite my carrying on and stumbling every few feet as I sobbed, Axel was being extremely patient with me. Every time I tripped, he stopped and helped me to my feet. If I needed to wipe my eyes, he'd grab the bag from me and free both my hands. But despite the redhead's generosity, I really wished Cloud was there.

At one point I became overwhelmed and fell to my knees. Axel stopped with me and patted my back as I sobbed especially hard. He seemed to be contemplating the idea of carrying me, then realized he couldn't hold _everything _and pulled out a small cell phone. I didn't know who he was talking to until about ten minutes later, Demyx was at my side, grabbing all the bags. Axel cradled me in his arms much like he had earlier tonight, tucking my face in to his chest. Him and the blond made small talk on the way to wherever we were going, the redhead filling the other in with everything that had happened.

--

I woke in a strange bed, my eyes sticking from dried tears. There was no on else in there, and I sat up, feeling miserable. I recognized the shape of the room enough to know I was definitely somewhere in the hotel. Most likely in Demyx's room.

I lay back down, feeling another rush of emotion. The tears never stop, do they?

When I was close to sleep again, Axel clambered in the room, looking exhausted. He immediately jumped in the shower and hardly dried off, the steam still rising from his skin when he crawled in to bed with me.

"I thought this was Dem's room?" I asked.

He lifted his head out of the pillow enough to tell me it was, and Dem had been kind enough to stay with Zexion for the night. I curled up in his arms and together we fell asleep.

X.

When I woke, I was alone again. Axel must have disappeared some time early morning.

There was a small T.V. in the corner of the room and I pulled myself out of bed to turn it on. I kept it on as background noise as I moved about the room, checking to see what the two boys had stuffed in the duffel bags for me. There was a sufficient amount of clothes and various things they probably figured I'd want. At the bottom of the biggest bag was a folder. I pulled it out and opened it carefully.

Namine's drawings.

Hugging the folder to my chest, I let one tear slide out. How I wished Nam was still here.

"Roxy?" Axel asked from the doorway.

I looked up, surprised, "Yeah?"

"You ready to head out?"

My eyebrows scrunched together and I threw everything back in to the bags, "Head where?"

"You're going to live with Leon and Cloud."

My head shot up, "You found them?"

He nodded and waited for me to finish gathering all my stuff. Then we left the hotel eagerly. It looked exactly as I remembered it. Larxene was even in the common area, eating donuts. She eyed us carefully and then left for her own room. But before she left completely, she turned to Axel, "I'm already set to go."

"Good. Make sure Dem and Zex are too."

I opened my mouth to ask but he cut me off with a quick, "The boys are living in a really nice apartment. They have a spare room and everything."

"Will it be big enough for both of us?" I asked, stepping through the doors.

"It'll be big enough for what it needs to be," He told me, guiding me towards the the gates of Traverse Town.

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	19. My Road

_Yay another chapter up! I worked on this the whole holiday, lol. _

_I am now going to take the time out to thank reviewers, since I've always wanted to and have never gotten around to it. Sorry guys! And I'm going to apologize ahead of time cuz I'm sure I'll either forget someone or spell their name wrong!_

_And thanks to:_

**Aindel S. Druida, Guzophela, , Sunkat411, BlacAngel, 9- White Cloaked Nocturne -9, Suna's Assassin, BanpaiaYoru, Kitsune Curoryu, XIIIKeyofDestinyXIII, Ottyboi, Ren13013, tidusyunapaine, TheFallenOnes, Yami no Kage, Wicked Winter, SarahXxUnlovedxX, BlueFox of the Moon, Otaku Panda-Chan, LawlietXRinoa, SporkFilledDeath345, slightlee-.-sarkastik, **_and_** With a side of stereotype**_!_

_You guys are fantastic, no lie! A lot of people ask questions and stuff in their reviews and other things and because when I finally finish a chapter and clean it up and post it, I'm in a hurry cuz I need to leave or something, I never take the time out to answer or anything, so I'm trying to change lol. But enough of me, on to the story!_

_Disclaimer: Own nothing but the storyline._

_Warning: Cussing possibly, boyxboy, the usual!_

* * *

**Chapter 18  
My Road**

**Now I feel I am on my road  
Now I feel I can change the world  
You never died  
And you're all my life  
I say you never died  
In my heart you're still alive**

**Now I know I am not alone  
Now I know I can touch my soul  
I dream of a place where I could stay  
I say I dream of a place  
Where I'll meet you once again**

**One day we'll die  
Your love will stay  
As long as mine  
You are all my life  
It was fine to love you  
You'll be on my mind  
Forever**

**Many times I looked in the sky  
Many times I looked in your eyes  
Cry baby cry  
Cause time's passing by  
I promise now  
I will never let you down**

**Roxas**

"Roxas!" Aerith nearly sprinted from the doorway, bounding down the steps two at a time. I instantly sprung from Axel's side, dropping the bag in the process. We embraced in a tight hug, me nearly leaping in to her arms. She smelt like Namine.

There were more footsteps on the wooden deck above us, announcing first the arrival of Yuffie, then Leon. They waved from above before Yuffie ran down the steps to join our hug. Leon followed behind a little more gracefully. He gave me an awkward one armed hug, pulling away quickly.

"Where's Cloud?" I asked, glancing around. Leon pointed back to the apartment, "He was showering. He should be down in a few minutes."

"Oh, Roxas!" Aerith clasped her hands together, "How have you been?"

"Okay." I shrugged. She took that moment to look me up and down, pinching first my stomach then my cheek, before exclaiming, "You're too skinny. Axel, haven't you been feeding him?"

The redhead chuckled a little before striking a conversation with Leon. Together they turned away and talked. I eyed them curiously before shrugging and partaking in the conversation with the girls.

"I haven't seen you in forever!"

"You're really grown!"

"You're so handsome!"

"You're starting to look a little like Cloud!"

I blushed pink at their compliments, unused to them. "Uh.. thanks." I muttered pathetically.

There were several footsteps above us, and together we looked up. Cloud's blond head peeked over the railing, staring strangely down at us. A moment of silence passed before he jumped away from the railing, flinging himself down the steps and in to my arms. We gripped each other tightly, not really caring how unmanly it was.

"Hm... should we be jealous?" Leon spoke up from his place beside Axel. It was a strange line to come from the brunette's mouth, but I only laughed when I saw Cloud roll his eyes and turn back to me, "How've you been?" He asked, the dark look on his face implying something more than just my health.

"I don't know. I was kind of scared at first, but... I'm sure I'll be fine. Just feels kind of weird being away from Sora."

He nodded with understanding, reaching out one hand to place it on my shoulder. When I glanced up in to his deep blue eyes, I felt for the first time like a little kid. He seemed so much older than me. They all did. Even Axel.

...I was just the child everyone had to keep an eye on.

"We've prepared the guest bedroom for you." Aerith smiled happily, "Maybe Cloud can go show it to you while Yuffie and I start dinner?" Yuffie's head jerked in her direction, confusion written all over her face, "Say what?"

Leon grinned a little, leading the way to the house, "How about Aerith prepares supper, Cloud shows Roxas his room, Axel and I chat, and Yuffie does what she does best... watches T.V.?"

"Now that's more like it!" Yuffie whooped, running past all of us and up to the apartment.

--

The room was fairly large. Bigger than my old room at least. The ceiling was high, the walls were long, and the king sized bed was pushed up against a wall, facing the decent sized T.V. But most of all... it was red; very very red.

"Where'd you guys come up with the money for this place?" I found myself asking.

Cloud sighed and sat on the big bed, "Squall inherited a bunch of money around his eighteenth birthday. When he asked me to... take residence with him..."

I smirked at this, finding the way Cloud suddenly blushed amusing.

"... he surprised me with this place."

"Do Yuffie and Aerith live here?" I asked, opening the closet to look inside.

The older blond shook his head, laughing, "No, they live next door... not that you can tell. Aerith cooks for us every night and Yuffie prefers our T.V. over theirs."

"Nice." I smiled, glancing a final time around the room.

"Cloud!" Leon called from downstairs. The blond looked towards the door before shrugging, "Come on."

It had only been a couple minutes, but I could already smell dinner being made. Yuffie had made herself comfy on the couch, flipping through cartoons. I dropped on to the couch beside her, smiling when it landed on Spongebob. I could see Cloud hurrying to Leon's side, frowning when the brunette led him outside.

I watched them a moment later, becoming distracted when a certain redhead flopped down next to me, "Hey Blondie!" He smirked, poking my nose.

I smacked his hand away, a blush rapidly tainting my cheeks as Axel leaned down to kiss me. I glanced around us when he pulled away, becoming very shy when I saw Yuffie giggling.

"You're too cute for your own good." Yuffie pinched my cheek, "I mean, seriously, Roxas. I live next door to Squally and Cloudy... I've walked in on a couple boys making out more than once."

I blushed even deeper at this, turning my face away.

Axel chuckled lightly, pulling me in to his body and hiding me. I sighed thankfully, playing with a loose strand of his hair. But everybody shot to attention when there was sudden yelling coming from outside. I checked to see the girl's reaction, but they seemed to be trying to ignore the confrontation. Axel pulled himself out from under me and headed for the door. The yelling got louder when the door was pulled open, but quieted again when it was closed.

Yuffie frowned, turning the volume on the T.V. up. I watched her strangely before she decided to say something, "They're always fighting... you'll get used to it. It's like they live for the fight."

I nodded, watching the dark shadows in the window.

"Well..." Aerith wiped her hands and turned to us, "Fight or no fight... supper is ready."

Yuffie jumped from the couch, volunteering to fetch the boys. I seated myself at the small table, my stomach growling at the smell of food. Aerith sat across from me, straightening the plates a little.

"I am so hungry!" Yuffie bounded back through the door, rubbing her belly. The three boys followed behind her, all faces blank, except Cloud. There was a frown marring his features and he hardly spoke, not that he did much normally anyway.

"This is good." Leon finally said, grinning down at Aerith. The brunette girl smiled happily, reaching for another piece of bread. Axel praised her cooking as well, winking at me before continuing to eat.

--

When we were all done eating, and Aerith and Leon had finished the dishes, the girls parted from the apartment, each kissing me on the head on the way out. I waved bye, smiling. Everyone seemed to be babying me, and as of right now, I wasn't sure if I cared. It felt kind of nice.

"I'm probably going to head upstairs." Leon announced, standing from the couch. Him and Cloud exchanged glances before the brunette whispered something in his ear and left.

"Maybe we should get you to bed." Axel looked over at me, pulling on my hand. I nodded softly, feeling the fatigue beginning to take over. Cloud watched us, frowning again, and agreed as well.

"You head up there. I'll be up in a few, okay?" The redhead told me, stretching.

"I'll take you." Cloud volunteered. We took the steps slowly, a little tired. After I'd changed and entered my room, I sighed as Cloud stood there frowning. "What's up?" I asked him, taking a step closer.

He shook his head and reached out to pull me in to a tight hug. It took me by surprise at first, but eventually I relaxed and hugged back.

"Sleep well. I'll... see you in the morning." The blond pulled away and quickly left the room, leaving me standing alone and confused.

"Hey!" Axel suddenly appeared, "You're not in bed yet?"

I laughed and jumped on to the bed, burying myself under the covers. The redhead laughed as well, pulling off his shirt, but leaving his jeans on. He crawled in beside me, pulling me securely against his warm body. I snuggled in to that warmth, grinning from ear to ear.

"I love you." I felt his hot breath on my ear.

"I love you too." I murmured back, turning so we were chest to chest.

The redhead kissed the corner of my eye, then my nose, and finally my lips. It was a welcomed and comforting good-night kiss.

"Sleep." He whispered, "I'll always love you."

For a moment, my sleep-clogged mind told me I should almost laugh, listening to the corny words come from his mouth. But the serious undertone of his voice kept me from doing so, and forced me to believe every word.

X.

When morning came, I was alone. There was no warm redhead to greet me and no strong arms to burrow myself further in to. Sitting up, I glanced around the room. Where was Axel?

I found nothing when I went downstairs as well. The living room and kitchen were exactly as everyone had left it last night, and nobody seemed to have woken up yet.

_But where the hell was Axel?_

I decided to check the deck outside the front door. Maybe he'd taken a smoke break? It was possible.

But when I opened the door and peered outside, my heart nearly stopped. As I reached out to run my hand along the smooth, metal locker placed in front of the door, I slowly fell to my knees.

In the back on my mind, I imagined some big instrumental song, filled with violins and drums, playing loudly like in the movies, musically voicing the pain that was now happening inside me as I instantly understood what this present meant.

Choking on a sob, I leaned forward to grab a note taped to the door of the red locker. I stared, frightened, at it. What would it say? What words could he have possibly have left for me?

Without registering what I was doing, I slid a finger through the tape, ripping it apart and causing the paper to unfold.

Four words.

_I'll always love you._

I gripped the note between two fingers, letting the unstoppable tears cascade down my cheeks. I let out another loud sob and leaned my head against the cold, metal treasure Axel had left for me.

Axel.

It was unbearable to even think his name. It nearly brought me to devastation. The redhead had left me... again. Though it was true that I had actually walked away from him the first time, I knew that if I hadn't, he would have.

I lay outside like that for what seemed like hours. I could hear people in the other apartments begin to wake. What time was it, anyway?

"Jesus! Roxas?" Cloud was suddenly behind me, I could see his tan, bare feet in the corner of my eye.

He shook my shoulder several times, attempting to make me respond. But I couldn't. I felt completely numb. As if no matter what I did, my body wouldn't move for me.

My friend began to call for Leon, picking me up and cradling me in his arms. My eyes wouldn't release the blank stare they now held, and I think it was freaking Cloud out.

"Let's get him upstairs. It's a lot warmer in our room."

I felt myself being jostled as the blond carried me up the steps and through the doors to their room. When I was laid on the bed, the only thing I noticed was how much more soft it was than mine. The sheets were silkier. The pillows were fluffier.

"Roxas... can you answer me?" Leon was suddenly in front of me. I stared at him, taking in his sharp features and the way the scar across his face only made him that much more handsome. Cloud was a lucky guy.

"Roxas?" The brunette tried again, this time lightly taking hold of my chin and turning my face in different directions. He watched my eyes while he did that, probably doing some kind of medical examination.

"Cloud." I managed to squeak out. The effort of saying his name nearly took all my strength for some reason.

Leon let my face go, turning to his companion and smiling reassuringly, "Stay with him. I'll go downstairs and wait for the girls to arrive."

Cloud nodded and sat next to me, waiting for the brunette to disappear, "I'm sorry, Roxas. I couldn't tell you. He didn't want us to tell you."

I shrugged, laying back on the pillows, "Did he say why? You know... why he left?"

Cloud smiled sadly, brushing a loose blond hair out of my face, "It felt it would be better for you. He thinks that every time he comes around you or gets close to you, something in your life falls apart."

I was about to say that it wasn't true, but I knew deep down that it was, "I see."

The blond lay down beside me, staring up at the ceiling, "He also thinks you're too young. I mean, you just turned sixteen. You have your whole life ahead of you, Roxas. Maybe one day you could find someone else. Someone better for you."

I nodded in despair at that thought. Love someone other than Axel?

* * *

**Olette**

I stared at the blond across from me. There were tears in his eyes and he didn't bother to wipe them away. I wanted to say something, but he almost looked as if he needed to sit in his misery. Instead I took the moment to glance over at the red locker the blonde's eyes were now glued to. It had a few dents around the door and I silently wondered if the heatbroken boy had punched it a few times.

"I still miss him."

I heard the whisper from where I sat, swallowing as the blond turned his gaze to me. "That's perfectly normal." I said stupidly, I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Is it?" He asked, finally reaching to flick away a tear. I nodded quietly and scooted next to him, "It's normal to still love someone who's hurt you. That's why it's called love, not infatuation."

He closed his eyes momentarily, opening them to reveal more tears.

"I have a question," I announced, poking my twitching eyebrow, "You said in your story that your room was red. But... it's white now. Why?"

He sighed and looked at the walls around him, "I made Leon paint it. I couldn't stand it... the red, I mean. It was too much. It reminded me of him too much."

"Oh." I inhaled deeply, glancing around me again, "Sounds logical."

He took this silently, leaning his head on my shoulder, "Why do I have to be the one to lose everything? First Namine, then my brother, and finally Axel... twice. I lost Cloud at one point..."

"But you got him back." I reminded him, "And you didn't lose Sora.... you're just away from him right now."

"And Namine?" He looked at me.

"Yes, you lost Namine... but, so did others. You weren't the only one who felt that loss... and because she's gone... it brought you together with Yuffie and Leon too." I quickly told him.

He smiled and agreed with this, "Not to mention I met you. You reminded me of her."

I smiled too, shrugging, "I try my best."

His smile faltered and he sighed, "That was one of Axel's lines. The cocky bastard." He laughed this time and I felt relief flood me.

"One day... everything will get better for you." I told him, grabbing his hand, "I promise."

He looked at our joined hands, squeezing mine before dropping them, "I'll hold you to that promise, Olette."

"Good." I perked up, standing, "Now... first order of business." I picked up my cell phone, flipping it open, "You are going to come out and hang with my friends and me."

"I am?" He seemed unsure, "I don't think your one friend likes me."

"Hayner is fine. You'll see, you two will be the best of friends!" I clapped my hands together at the thought, quickly dialing said boy's number.

He picked up right away, a little surprised to hear from me. I told him to meet at the Usual Spot and hung up. Next I called Pence. My heart fluttered a little as he answered and I turned away when I saw the smug little smirk on Roxas' face.

After the two calls were made, I grabbed the blond by the hand and pulled him from the room.

"Let's go have some fun!" I called behind me, feeling even more excited when I heard Roxas laugh rather loudly.

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	20. A Song for the Optimists

**My updates are coming pretty quickly now! I kind of like it! Thank god for snow days!**

**EvilLeo01 -**_ I wish I could tell you what's going to happen in the future, but that would ruin the fun! All I can say is keep reading, I guess!_

**Kitsune Curoryu - **_No, I pry not gunna answer lol, sorry... as I said to EvilLeo01, I guess you'll have to just keep reading!_

**slightlee-.-sarkastik -** _I know, right? It's definately not better... but does make for a geater story sometimes, huh?_

**So since I got such a quick update already, how about rewarding me with some reviews or something? That'd make my day... or night, I guess lol. You have no clue how close Roxas' story really is coming to a close.**

**Disclaimer/Warning: Do we need to go through this again?**

**P.S. I started this story a year and 4 days ago, today! Yay me... or is that bad? Lol either way, at least I haven't given up on it. Have fun reading.**

**And I'm still taking suggestions for good stories to read. Preferably ones that deal with Akuroku. Anyone want to offer their own or other's stories to me? I like me some Zemyx too!**

* * *

**Chapter 19  
_A Song for the Optimists_**

**Blow the last candle out.  
****Let the wax harden  
I wish I could stop crying.  
I wish someone still loved me  
Just breathe and focus.  
How can I when the air is so cold and empty?  
That my lungs froze right in my chest  
I'll be honest the silver linings are getting harder and harder to manufacture  
And the smiles are so difficult to fake  
What do I have to do, or who do I have to kill, to get what I want.  
What I need  
Happiness is an emotion I was born to this world without,  
Nothing pleases me.  
I cannot be satiated  
Through this toil I will breed my own distress and destroy my best hopes,  
Fuck up the only things I love.  
I watched my dreams die  
****I watched my aspirations crash to the ground on the backs of the angels that I've slain.  
But I meant so well, I tried too hard, gave every ounce of my soul, to what end.  
Desolation, desire, exhale, pass away.**

"Where are we going?" Roxas groaned, allowing himself to be dragged anyway. I shrugged, not answering, and pulled him off the train. We were nearly running in my hurry to get to the usual spot.

"What are we planning to do?"

I ignored him again, sliding around the corner of an apartment building and hopping over a loose crate.

"Are you going to answer any of my questions?" He asked, nearly tripping.

"Nope!" I called out, laughing as we filtered through the dusty blanket covering the doorway to our hideout. The boys were lounging on the couch, kicking rocks, but they jumped up once they saw me.

"Olette!" They cried out at the same time. I smiled at them with pure happiness and motioned to the doorway, "Come on... let's go to the beach."

Their jaws nearly dropped and they ran from the room, shouting out on the way.

"The beach?" Roxas asked, turning to me, "Why don't we just go to the islands? The whole thing is a beach!"

"Well..." I led the way outside, blinking at the brightness, "You'll see why when we get there."

He allowed this answer, following behind me rather willingly. The boys were several yards in front of us, talking excitedly about the plans.

"Do you have enough money for ice cream, Olette?"

"Can we eat on the pier?"

"Will we make it there before sunset?"

I giggled at all their questions, raising a hand to silence them, "I don't know yet, guys. Let's wait until we get there."

They agreed this was a good idea, and walked faster.

We didn't get to the beach very often any more.

--

"So then?" Roxas took another lick of his sea salt ice cream, using his toes to play with the sand, "Why are we here again?"

I made a face at the strange popsicle, wondering why the blond loved them so much, "Because I know how much you love the beach. The sand, the sun, the water... everything. And I wanted to give this to you, except... I saw your face that night on the islands." At this he frowned, turning away to stare out over the water. He always seemed younger when he was upset.

"I wanted to give it to you with out all the pain that follows."

He smiled softly, finishing his ice cream and chewing on the end of the popsicle stick.

"Watch this Olette!" Hayner suddenly called out from the pier. I stared up at him, furrowing my brow when I watched him climb over the post.

"Be careful!" I called out, laughing when he dove off the wood and dropped in to a deeper part of the water. Pence waved to me from the spot Hayner just was, biting his lip as he canon-balled in to the water.

"Their crazy." I snorted as they both resurfaced and ran to do it again.

"They both like you." Roxas observed, his stick hanging out of his mouth like a toothpick, "You see that, don't you?"

"I'm hardly a stupid girl, Rox." I reminded him, flipping my hair over my shoulder, "I know what I am doing."

"Do you?" He asked, turning to look at me.

"Yes, I do. And yes, Pence and I like each other, but would we ever let that get in the way of the friendship of our trio? No."

He smiled, "Just making sure."

"Roxas!" Hayner made his way up the beach, water still dropping from his body, "Come swimming with us!"

Roxas seemed momentarily shocked, "M-me?"

"Yeah!" Hayner smiled, offering his hand, "It'll be fun!"

The blonds stared at each other, Roxas still thinking, "Uh... sure."

"Awesome!" Hayner grabbed Rox's hand, pulling him to his feet.

"See ya later Olette!" He called, waiting for Roxas to throw his shirt off and enter back in to the water with him.

The boys swam for hours, until the sun set and it was completely dark out. I lay in the sand, gazing up at the sky until the stars appeared. They were very pretty tonight.

"Hey Babe." Hayner hovered above me, his blond hair dropping water into my face, "Ready yet?"

I quickly wiped the wetness from my forehead, sitting up, "Yep!"

He helped me up with a cold and damp hand. Pence and Roxas were chatting and laughing as they reached the dry sand, they're legs completely filthy.

"You boys have fun?" I asked, staring meaningfully at Roxas. He smiled shyly and glanced away, but Pence burst out, "Hell yeah! Did you see me dunk Hayner? It was so funny!"

The boys talked and made each other laugh the entire way home. I wasn't jealous at all that I was being excluded. In fact, I was happy for them. Especially for Roxas.

"Well..." Hayner began as we landed back at our Usual Spot, "I had fun today." Everyone agreed eagerly and then let silence overcome us.

Pence broke the comfortably silence with a quiet sigh, "It's late, guys. I should go home."

Hayner nodded, "Me too."

"We should all hang out again another time." I offered. The boys murmurder their agreement and we soon parted.

"Are you going home then?" I asked Roxas as he walked with me to my house.

"Do you think I could stay at your house?"

"Of course."

"Good. You know, I only have a little bit left of my story. It's coming to an end." He frowned as we jumped on to my front step, "I was beginning to rather enjoy it."

I smiled, pushing open the door for us, "Me too."

"Olette?" My mum called out, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she entered the living room, "Hey I made supper-" She stopped in his tracks, surprised, when she saw Roxas next to me, "Oh, hello. I didn't realize 'Lette was bringing company or I would have been better prepared."

The blond gave her a charming smile, one very similar to Riku's, and offered his hand, "I'm Roxas."

She stared a moment longer before taking his hand and shaking it gently, "It's very nice to finally meet you." She smiled warmly, gesturing to the kitchen, "Please... come eat with us."

Dinner went very smoothly and they took to Roxas' presence very eagerly. Everyone was very comfortable with each other as Roxas shared stories from his childhood and my parents compared them to when they were young. I sat back, overjoyed.

"Is it okay if Rox stays the night?" I asked as we set our dishes in the sink.

"Sure." My mother shrugged, filling it with water.

I sighed with relief and returned to fetch the blond from the living room. We went down the hall to settle in my room and get ready for bed. He declined my offer of sweatpants and assured me the floor was fine for sleeping on.

"Did you have fun today?" I finally asked, waiting for what I was hoping was a positive reaction.

He smiled again, nodding his head, "Yes. You're friends are very unique. I enjoyed today."

"And the story?" I bit my lip, hiding an impatient grin.

He rolled his eyes, a laugh sliding off his tongue, "It took me a really long time, over a year, before I even started going outside again..."

* * *

**Roxas**

"Hey, we're heading to Tifa's soon, want to come?"

I stared blankly at my best friend and Cloud stared back, his eyes scanning my face for a long time. Slowly our eyes met and I had to look away instantly. He looked so hurt. Hurt and tired. My gloomy presence was starting to wane on the boy and though he would never admit it, I knew his recent depression was because of me. So was his constant need to fight with Leon. The two barely made it a few days before they were at each others throats. And not just verbally, but physically. The two had gotten in fist fights before during a fight, but it was more often now, as if it was the only way things would settle.

I swallowed with guilt, "No thanks."

His face fell even more, if that was possible, and he looked away, resting one hand on the doorway, "If you say so."

I didn't reply, just sat there pathetically.

The blond left without a goodbye, slinking down the hallway. I watched him go sadly, wishing I wasn't so pathetic and weak.

I was seventeen now. Axel had left a year ago today and I still couldn't get over myself and my pain. There had been no words, no letters, and no indication that the redhead planned to return, but I felt as if I left the house, Axel might suddenly appear, looking for me, and leave when he realized I wasn't here. I couldn't remember the last time I had even gone outside. Sometimes I crossed the balcony to Aerith and Yuffie's, but other than that, I shut myself away.

No matter how hard I tried to figure it out, I couldn't understand why I was so useless. Why couldn't I just get over it and move on with my life? As I had said, I could see the weight shifting on Cloud's shoulders. He was watching his best friend falling apart in front of him, and no matter what he did... it didn't help. The blond had been nice enough to open his doors and private life for me, and I had yet to even thank him.

Often, I tried to imagine what Namine would say if she were here. Deep down, I knew she'd call me an idiot, giggle a little bit, then nonchalantly offer me some of the best advice I'd ever heard. Trying to use this as inspiration, I pulled myself up from my bed. I could still hear the boys shuffling down stairs, so I knew they hadn't left. Wasting no time, I opened the closet door quickly, pulling on a clean pair of pants and a warm hoodie.

When I got halfway down the steps, I saw Cloud and Leon in the corner of the kitchen, the blond backed into a corner and Leon muttering something low. They weren't speaking loud enough for me to hear, but I could already tell they were arguing again.

"Leon..." I spoke, taking the last step, "Cloud... can I come with you guys tonight?"

They seemed completely shocked to see me, Leon even stuttering a little as he turned around, "U-uh... yes! Of course you can!" He stared strangely at me, not even shifting when Cloud slid around him, a genuine smile lighting his face.

"We're heeerree!" Yuffie sang, busting through the door. Leon flinched as it slammed in to the wall, leaving a dent.

"Oops." The ninja bit her lip, covering her mouth with a hand. She shrugged it off and and turned around, "Roxas!" She lept across the room to sweep me in to her arms and hug me tightly, "Are you coming with tonight?"

"If he can still breath that is." Cloud mumbled, shaking his head. The girl instantly let me go, glaring at the blond before examining me, "I'm so excited!" She suddenly burst out, hopping in the air.

"Let's get going." Leon suggested, grabbing his jacket and gesturing towards the door.

The walk to Tifa's bar was made in nothing even close to silence. The girl's were discussing loudly their excitement about how our household would cease to be an estate of depression and suicidal thoughts, not that I ever thought about killing myself once, mind you!, and making suggestive comments towards Leon and Cloud, trying to make them uncomfortable. The girls succeeded, laughing when Cloud's cheeks tinted pink at a paticularly crude suggestion.

"Is it alright with you if some of the others are here tonight?" Cloud asked, successfully changing the subject.

I shrugged, shaking my head and pulled my hood closer to my neck, trying to warm up a little more.

When we entered the two different doors to the bar, I was actually relieved to see a familiar silver-headed boy jump from the table when he saw me. I hadn't seen Sora or the others since Axel left, a year ago.

"Hey!" Riku called out, jogging up to me, "Happy birthday kid!" He rubbed my hair like a big brother would, laughing when I gave him a rather childish pout. His hair was growing even longer and he still didn't seem to be through with getting taller. I smiled at the sudden thought of how Sora must be taking his best friend growing so rapidly while his baby fat still lingered.

"Where's Sora?" I asked after a moment, looking around the bar.

Riku shook his head, "Hanging with Kairi tonight. I'm alone, sorry."

"He didn't wanna spend his birthday with his best friend?"

"Nah, I got him this morning. We threw a party for him a while ago." He smiled at the memory.

The night passed by smoothly, causing my constant sour mood to lighten up for once. The bar was unusually dead and Tifa spent a majority of the night with us, serving free drinks and making us baskets of fries. It was the first time I'd eaten something unhealthy in a long time, Aerith usually fed me all natural and organic crap, explaining she wouldn't let her boys 'get fat and unfit.'

"Yum." I whispered to myself, dipping a fry in caeser dressing and popping it in to my mouth. I could see Yuffie smiling at me out of the corner of my eye, and turned to look at her.

"What?"

She shook her head laughing, "Was that fry good?"

"Yep." I smiled, eating another.

"So cute." She cooed, pinching my cheek. I brushed her off and turned away, embarrassed.

The room suddenly grew quiet, and I glanced around me, confused.

"What's going on?" I asked Riku, who shrugged suspiciously and looked away.

Next I looked to Cloud, crossing my arms as he only smiled.

"Here we are!" Tifa announced, pushing through the doors to the kitchen. Sitting halfway on her shoulder and half on her hand was a large platter carrying a... birthday cake. My jaw dropped as the mound of baked goodness was set in front of me and Aerith leaned in to light seventeen identical blue candles.

"Now I figured you wouldn't be coming tonight, but I decided to make one just in case." Tifa clarified, stepping off to the side to shut off the lights, our faces becoming illuminated from the candles, "And I know you don't like frosting, so it's actually whip cream."

I smiled, practically overwhelmed with emotion. They still cared about me after all this time? After all the time I had shut my door in their faces? After all the times I had lay in bed, refusing to answer their pleas to get my life back again. After all the times I had played my music so loud at night, I knew Leon and Cloud had gone without sleep, just so I didn't have to hear the silence?

"You guys..." I breathed, forcing the tears to recede.

"Don't say anything, Roxas." Riku reached out a hand to set it on my shoulder, "We're your friends."

I smiled deeply, looking back to my cake.

"Make a wish." Cloud whispered.

I closed my eyes, thinking deeply. I already knew what I wanted, even though it wasn't humanly possible.

I wish Namine would came back to me.

Taking a deep breath, I blew all the candles out with one puff. We were surrounded with darkness soon after, causing a surprised gasp from the girls.

"Here we go!" Tifa flipped the light switch, everyone clapping as I took a good look at my cake, a tear streaming down as I thought of how much work she must have put in to it.

"Thank you..." I whispered, looking up at all of them.

Everyone smiled and offered me their congratulations, but their shouts were short-lived as the doors opened and several people stepped in.

"Hope we aren't too late." Selphie giggled, waving nervously as she felt everyone's stare.

"We were just cutting the cake!" Yuffie announced, motioning her forward. The brunette stepped inside, allowing several people behind her to come in as well.

"Tidus?" I asked, sneaking a peek of blond hair. His face appeared above Selphie's shoulder, a toothy grin forming its way across his face.

"Roxas!" Selphie shouted, jumping forward and in to my lap. I was nearly knocked backwards but managed a laugh as the brunette wrapped her arms around my neck in a carefree hug, "I've missed you so much! You've gotten so cute!" I blushed scarlet, ushering her off me, "Yes, yes! I get it."

She giggled again, playing with her hair. Tidus was next in line, but he was more graceful. He offered a handshake and then a smile, Wakka walking up and doing the same. I spotted purplish red hair in the distance and sat forward.

Kairi stepped away from the door, spotting me in my chair and rushing towards me much like Selphie had. We hugged and she pulled me up from the chair to twirl me in a circle, "Look how much older you look!"

I stopped our dance and patted her arm, "I don't want to get sick."

I checked around the room, searching for the one person I wanted to see. He wasn't here.

"Where's Sora?" I turned back to Kairi, "Riku said he was with you."

"He was." She frowned, "but, I'm sorry Roxas... I couldn't convince him to come up here with us."

"Convince him?" I asked, thinking this over, "He needed convincing?"

She exchanged a look with Riku and glanced away.

"He's a little upset." Riku replied for her, "He's being all stubborn and thick-headed. You know how he is."

"Yes... I do." I sighed and tried to push thoughts of my twin aside.

"So how have you all been?" I tried to perk up, mouth watering at the moist cake Tifa was now cutting. They told me various funny stories of school and back home and other things I had missed out on. The rest of the night was spent laughing and dancing and other things I hadn't done since I was little. The older kids drank and sang and slurred their words, keeping the rest of us entertained when we ran out of things to talk about.

"Riku... how do you keep your hair so silky?" Yuffie stumbled on her way to Riku's chair, picking up a handful of his silver hair and rubbing it in her face.

Riku smirked and gently tried to pull his hair away, "It's natural."

She frowned at his reply and let the silky locks drop, "You suck."

"It's getting late, should all head home." Leon declared, standing unsteadily from his chair. Everyone sighed and agreed, pushing their chairs in behind them as they stood. A few snickered as the tall brunette tripped over Cloud's chair on his way. Cloud caught him under the arms, letting out a grunt of effort as he hoisted him back on his feet. Leon mumbled something unintelligible and nestled his face in to the crook between the blonde's neck and shoulder.

"Come on Squall." Cloud pulled the other's arm around his shoulder and helped the slightly drunken brunette to the door, "We're going to start heading, you coming Roxas?"

I nodded and stood, waiting as he turned to the girls, "You guys coming too?"

The girls, meaning mainly Aerith, seeing as Yuffie was about to pass out on the table, shook their heads, "We're going to stay and help Tifa clean up."

The blond shrugged, "Sure... well, we'll see you guys later, right?"

The Destiny Islands kids waved and nodded, calling out their goodbyes. I hugged each of them in turn before following the two boys outside. Riku stopped me right as I passed by, reaching out to grab my elbow and pull me to him.

"Roxas." Was all he said.

I nodded, already knowing what he was thinking about, "Please tell Sora I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you guys all year."

The silver-headed boy swallowed, letting go of my arm and smiling.

"Let's go Rox!" Cloud called from outside.

I pulled my hood up as I left the warm building. The air was crisp and chilly, causing an involunatry shiver to rise through me. I could see the blond attempting to hold the brunette's weight up, staggering a little.

"You're getting fat, Squall." He growled, shifting around.

"Oh shut up, Cloud." The brunette murmured, turning around to see me, "Hurry up, Rox!"

I smiled and jogged a little to catch up with them.

"Did you have fun?" My friend asked me.

"Yes, a lot of fun."

"Good... now help me lift this bear."

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	21. Crossroads

**So this chapter is really short... like 1,600 words... But I believe this fact should be overlooked for the fact that I just got two updates done within like 3 days! That has to be a record on my part (But you could probably thank all the snow days as well)! And besides, the chapter needed to end where it did, just to keep things clean.**

**TheFallenOnes:** _That actually cracks me up to think about, because when I ever I read the word Squall, I think of a squirrel... and now a fat little squirrel..._

**SporkFilledDeath345:** _Yes, Rox's story is coming to an end, but the whole story it most surely not! Lol, I actually have a little more in store... and as much as I wish I could've kept any corniness out of the last chapter, I don't think I'm a good enough writer to be capable of such things lol and on a final note, I find it very random, yet fun, that my story is being associated with RENT, because I love that musical._

**an-angel-in-hell:** _I know the feeling... I've gone many sleepless nights, just because I wanted to keep reading someone's story..._

**EvilLeo01:** _Anything that involves Axel makes it good. :-D_

**SarahXxUnlovedxX:** _I'm glad you love it!_

**slightlee-.-sarkastik:**_ I think a drunk Leon is funny too, because he's normally so composed all the time... and serious._

**Oh, and before I forget to tell you, I've been wanting to start a side story to this one. It'd probably be pretty short though... hmm.... anyway, it'd be like Cloud's version. I've always wanted to write a Cleon fic, but I don't really want to go through the whole new plot and all that stuff... so it'd work out perfectly if it was off this story, I think... Idk, what do you guys think? Should I?**

**Well, read it, review it, love it, or hate it (w/e you prefer), and embrace this quick update! (Hopefully there's more to come)**

* * *

**_Chapter 20  
Crossroads_**

**The left isn't better  
It's just more of the same  
Condemning all these people  
For what they believe**

**I climb to the top of that mountain again  
Noone is going to save me this way  
And the closer to the top I get  
The more they take aim  
But I'm not you**

**I may not be perfect  
But I've always been true  
I may not be worthy in your eyes  
Climb up from the bottom  
For the last time  
The last one the last one  
The last time**

**If I was perfect  
Then this would be easy  
Either road's plausible  
On both I could drown  
I walk through the center  
With no rules to guide me  
I realize it's difficult  
But now I can see**

**Roxas**

There was a loud noise ringing somewhere in the kitchen. I groaned tiredly and tried to rolled over. I couldn't move though, because for some reason, I was sleeping on the couch, and there was something heavy sitting on my legs.

"The fuck?" I muttered, sitting up.

Yuffie was using my knees for a pillow and next to her was Aerith. I glanced to my left and saw Cloud shifting sleepily from his spot on top of Leon. Everyone peeked open a grouchy eye and looked to the tall brunette.

"It's the phone." Aerith clarified, yawning. Leon gave a sad sigh, glancing at the clock that read 2:08. Cloud was the only one still sleeping. Him and his ability to drown out anything.

"God damn." The eldest cursed, pulling himself off the couch. The phone continued to pierce the night with it's obnoxious ring, and I covered my ears until Leon stumbled over to it, nearly dropping it in his haste to pick it up.

"Mm-yeah?" He sighed.

Aerith glanced curiously at him over the back of the couch, suddenly more awake. Yuffie sat up as well.

"Huh?" Leon perked up, holding the phone closer.

I exchanged a look with the girls, shrugging.

"Right now?" He asked in to the reciever.

...

"Where at?"

...

"I'm on my way." He hung the phone up quickly, jumping to his feet.

"Who was that? What's happening?" Aerith asked worriedly.

"I'll be back." The brunette grabbed his coat and pulled on his boots, slipping out the door before we could ask anymore.

"Wonder what's going on." Yuffie rubbed her eyes, turning on the t.v. I was too curious to go back to sleep so I left to grab a blanket, wrapped it around myself, and sat back on the couch with the others, watching Spongebob.

Cloud had yet to wake up and the girls began their cooing.

"He's so cute when he's asleep."

"Look at his face, he looks so little!"

"Remember back when he used to follow Leon around, looking like a little lost puppy?"

"Cloud _is_ a little lost puppy, just look at him!"

"Aw."

"Aw."

I rolled my eyes, something akin to 'girls' rolling off my tongue. Yuffie reached out to rub my hair, poking my nose on the way, "Don't worry. You're just as cute." She giggled and Aerith joined in as well.

More cooing.

"Look at him, he's like a mini version of Cloud."

"They probably looked like twins when they were little."

"No, triplets! Because Sora was there too!"

"Aw... triplets... so cute!"

"Aw!"

"Shut up." I groaned. It was too early, or late?, for that. I wanted nothing more than to go back to bed.

"I love Spongebob." Yuffie suddenly said. I was pretty sure the older kids were still a little tipsy from earlier, not exactly being able to sleep it off yet.

The door opened and Leon stepped through, dragging a certain silver headed boy behind him.

"Riku?" I jerked up, surprised.

He didn't acknowledge that I had just spoken, just looked around the room quickly and settled his eyes on the floor.

"Riku, you okay?"

He still didn't look up. The girls glanced to Leon, curious.

"I don't know what's up. He wouldn't respond to anything I said, either. I think he might be... on something, you know?" He shook Riku for good measure, and the boy didn't lose focus on his feet.

"Where was he?" Aerith stood, rushing to silver headed kid, and pulling up his face.

"Up in Traverse Town with a bunch of kids I've never seen before."

I studied my friend for a second, "Was he who called?"

"Yeah." The brunette nodded tiredly, "He told me he needed a place to crash but he didn't know where he was. That's when I figured he was either drunk or high or.. on something, because he then proceeded to tell me where he was."

"Well, I'll take him upstairs and get him to bed. He just needs to sleep it off," Aerith offered, grabbing the boy's hand and leading him up the steps, "Roxas, do you mind if he stays in your room?"

"Uh, no, of course not." Concern laced my voice.

They disappeared upstairs and Leon sighed, "I am so tired."

"Go to bed then." Yuffie didn't look away from the television screen, "And take Cloud up there with you, that way there's more room on the couch." Leon rolled his eyes and bent down to wake Cloud up,

"Cloudy..." He whispered, nudging him. The blond brushed him away and rolled in to the couch, "Come on bud, let's go upstairs." Leon pulled the blond to him, cradling him in his arms. Cloud really wasn't all that much smaller than the brunette, so it was kind of funny to watch.

"I'm going to sleep." Cloud muttered, nestling his face in Leon's neck. His older companion chuckled, making his way up the steps, slowly, "You're already asleep."

"Hm."

The door to their room shut and Yuffie stretched, "At least now there's more room for us and Aerith."

I smiled and agreed, laying back down.

* * *

**Olette**

...

"That's it?" I asked, sitting back, "There's nothing more?"

He laughed at the expression on my face, "Come on, Olette, I'm not dying. Of course that's it... I've landed where we are now. Nothing major happened between then and becoming friends with you. My story has more yet to come, but this time... you're here to experience it, not hear about it."

I thought about this before asking him, "But what about this summer? Selphie said you went on a trip with Aerith."

"I did." He admitted, shrugging, "But it was just to check out the damage in Hollow Bastion. Nothing exciting happened there, trust me."

I frowned and lay my head back against my wall, "Is that really where it ends? This sucks."

He smiled and clapped me on the shoulder, "But like I said, now my crazy life is thrusted on to you, and you get to experience it all with me, you lucky girl."

I laughed and twirled my hair around a finger, "Sounds promising."

"I'm sure it will be." He muttered, closing his eyes.

"So... I know that Yuffie and all them are planning to move soon... you're probably going with them, right?" I asked.

He stared up at the ceiling, tugging at his hair in an attempt to flatten it, "I don't know where else I'd go."

"Good point." I nodded.

"What about school? Are you ever going to go back and finish your Senior year?"

He scowled and gave out a frustrated huff, "It's not just my senior year I need to make up... I missed most of my Junior year too. I really don't want to go back to do them over. I was originally supposed to return after three months and start my second semester of the 11th grade, and then take senior classes next year, but I'm not sure if I want to. I mean, I'll be turning eighteen in a week and a half."

"Wow.. you're old." I joked, "I'm still fifteen."

He laughed as well, shrugging nonchalantly, "Oh well."

We stared in different directions, me on my bed, and Roxas on the floor.

"You know, that day we met..." He began, looking up at me, "When we were eating breakfast up in the station, remember?"

He trailed off there, thinking.

"Uh, yeah I remember." I shifted, trying to gain his attention again.

He pulled out of his thoughts and wrapped a blanket around his torso, "The moment I saw your face, I thought back to the wish I made on my seventeenth birthday. Y'know, about getting Namine back? It was like the instant we met, I felt it was the world's way of granting me my wish. You looked so much like her."

"Really?" I blinked, catching a glimpse of myself in my mirror. I still didn't see the resemblance.

He continued, "That's why I wanted you down in the Sandlot with us. Cloud even thought you looked like her. I wanted to talk to you or spend time with you or something, to see if I was right. And I think I was, because everything you did was like her."

...

"I think my wish came true." He finally said, glancing up at me. I bit my lip, sitting up straight, "But you still keep in mind that I'm Olette, right? I mean..."

He grinned, "Of course, 'Lette. When I look at you, I see you. It's as simple as that. You're my friend."

"Good."

We both lay back and sighed. It was getting late.

"Let's sleep." I offered. I saw him nod his head in the dark, rolling on to his side.

"Night." He whispered.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	22. Legally Blonde PART 1

**Holy explosion of reviews! I got like twenty or thirty for the whole story in the last few days!**

**Two updates at the same time! What does this make it? Like six updates in one week? Haha... But like I said last time, the snow days might have had something to do with it, and now I'm stuck at home all weekend with nothing to do because I got my wisdom teeth cut out (which hurts), and yeah.**

**This chapter is another short one, and so is the next one, but they're two seperate parts of the same chapter, if you get what I mean.**

**SarahXxUnlovedxX:** _You're short reviews always make me smile a little._

**EvilLeo01:** _You'll pry find out what happened to Riku in a future chapter, I'm not sure yet._

**Nikki Mustang:**_ Okay, the moment you said Synyster was hott, you became one of my favorite reviewers lol! Anyone who likes A7X has to be pretty cool._

**SporkFilledDeath345:** _Well, since you were looking forward to the next chapter, I got a surprise for ya... here's two!_

**an-angel-in-hell:** _I hope you're down for that story, cuz I'm pretty sure I am going to write it now._

**LawlietXRinoa:** _I always enjoy hearing that people enjoy my stories, so thanks!_

**Sora's Sacrifice:** _Every review you're a chapter closer to this one, so I thought I'd just thank you now for all the reviews. I enjoy hearing everyone's thoughts and such._

**Disclaimer/Warning: You know the drill.**

* * *

**_Chapter 21  
PART 1  
Legally Blonde_**

**Take back the books and pack up the clothes  
Clear out the room and drop off the key  
Leave with what's left of my dignity  
Get in the car, and just go.**

**Chalk it all up to experience,  
They said I'd fail but I disagreed  
Who could say then where my path would lead?  
Well now I know**

**Back to the sun, back to the shore  
Back to what I was before  
Back where I'm known  
Back in my own  
Very small pond**

**Laugh with my friends  
When I arrive  
We'll drop the top and just drive.  
That's fine with me, just let me be  
Legally blonde.**

"What about cereal?" I picked up a box of Lucky Charms, comparing them with the price of the generic brand.

"Hm?" Cloud mumbled, staring over a shelf of fish bowls. Weird.

"Cereal." I reminded him, "Need any?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, uh... get the Boo Berrys stuff. They're Yuffie's favorite." He turned away from the glass aquariums and walked over to me, "Let's find the milk next."

I nodded my head and grabbed a case of the blue cereal, following behind the taller blond down the aisle.

Leon had set the both of us on a grocery shopping trip, mainly because Aerith was visiting her mum, Roxas was with Hayner, and Yuffie was useless. He couldn't send either of us alone because Cloud often forgot why he was out, and I wouldn't know with type of things to get.

"White or chocolate?" I clarified, glancing over my shoulder at the older boy. The blond grunted something akin to 'white' and kept eyeing the bags of bread.

I assumed 1% was fine and pulled open the door. Cloud was suddenly at my side with an abandoned cart he had found and I set the gallon of milk in there. Afterwards, I took the time out to stifle a giggle at seeing the big and strong blond push a little red cart like a new father.

"Do you guys need canned goods?"

"Get Yuffie some ravioli and Aerith some mixed fruits. Leon will probably want his corn frozen, not canned, so I'll go get it." I smiled and turned down the canned good aisle. I also remembered the brunette mentioning something about chicken noodle soup, and stole the largest can available, lifting it carefully in to the plastic cart. Cloud reappeared moments later with a bag of bright yellow corn and he stared expectantly at me.

"Uh..." I tried to think... what else would they need? "Chips?"

"You're right." He pointed at me, "Cheetos and kettle cooked potato." We made our way to that area and I smiled happily that this was surprisingly not awkward at all.

"No... put it down now."

I heard a whine of protest and peeked through a whole in the shelf.

"But-"

"No! Put. The. Ice-cream. Back."

"Fine."

I couldn't see both speakers, only one. His hair was a strange slate color, and it covered nearly all his face. I shrugged at the five seconds of entertainment they had provided me, and continued towards the chips.

Cloud had already gathered what they needed and tossed them in the basket.

"And fruit snacks or anything like that?"

"Nah, Roxas usually loses half of them in the couch. But we need lunch meat." Cloud rubbed his chin.

"Okay."

After we managed to find everything we could possible need to buy, the older boy and I fit the stuff in to as little an amount of bags as possible, and took the short walk home. Cloud had offered to carry the heavier things, and I let him. I really didn't want to carry them.

"We're home." Cloud announced after kicking the apartment door open, he waited patiently for me to enter first, pulling the door shut with his foot. Leon was suddenly at the bottom of the steps, taking some of the bags from my hands, "We can just set everything on the table."

It took the two of us (Cloud had sat on the couch watching T.V., explaining he would only get in the way) about half an hour to place everything in there proper spot. The brunette mentioned more than once that we had done a fine job in our selection, and Cloud just shrugged.

A sudden alarm went off, and I accidentally let out a short scream in surprise.

"What the hell?" Leon muttered, glancing up at the blinking red ceiling light.

"Come on." Cloud stood, shutting off the T.V. and pushing the door open. We left the apartment quickly, Leon guiding me down the steps with one hand on my shoulder, while Cloud stopped at the girl's room to grab Yuffie.

The entire building had evacuated and were now standing at the park across the street, sending looks of annoyance at a redhead at the far end and his bald companion.

"I'm sorry! It's a family trait!" The redhead threw up his arms, hiding behind his bigger friend.

"Reno." Cloud muttered, rolling his eyes as he and Yuffie sauntered past. They walked up to the redhead, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him, "You idiot!" The blond told him.

"What's happening?" I asked shyly, glancing up at Leon. The brunette pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Reno set his apartment on fire again.

"How?"

"I don't want to know." His eyes widened.

We sat around in the grass for fifteen minutes or so, waiting for the small fire department to assess the damage. It wasn't nothing major, just a few blackened curtains in Reno's apartment and a couple of his neighbor's room smelling like smoke.

"Woah... what happened?" Roxas made his way across the old playground, stepping up between the eldest and me.

"A fire." Cloud announced, standing.

"Reno!" Roxas swore, glancing over at the still apologizing redhead.

Everyone laughed and we gathered together as we got the 'okay' to head back inside.

"Groceries!" Yuffie raised a fist in the air at the abandoned bags laying on the table, she didn't hesitate before checking through the cabinets to seek its new inhabitants.

"How was hanging with Hayner today?" I asked Roxas, sitting on the couch. He smiled and shrugged a shoulder, "Pretty fun. We went skate boarding and all that, I enjoyed it. Though, we ran in to Seifer a few times."

"How'd that go?" Leon scoffed from the kitchen, not even looking up.

"Battled it out. Ended in a draw, since Rai wouldn't stop interfering."

The brunette nodded approvingly and began making some kind of food for dinner.

--

"I've been thinking." Roxas started at supper. We were all at the kitchen table, somehow managing to fit. When the shorter blond spoke, everyone stopped to look at him.

"I'm not going to Hollow Bastion with you guys. I'm going to move back home."

"What?" Cloud was the first to speak, setting his fork on a napkin, "You mean... to live with your parents?"

"Yes." He frowned, taking another bite of food and chewing it before looking back up, "Maybe it'll be good for me, y'know?" Maybe this is what I need."

The others looked doubtful, including me, but didn't say anything. Roxas sighed and set his fork down like Cloud had, "I know what you're thinking, but... this could be a good thing... I'm sure Sora and Kairi will talk me back in to finishing school, and Olette will be in there with me. It'll be fine." Cloud wouldn't be there though... he graduated at semsster.

"Are you sure?" Leon wiped his mouth with a napkin, "Would you be able to stay out of trouble?"

"I'd try." The blond spoke truthfully, "It's just a year and a half of schooling. Once I was finished, I could come meet you guys out in Hollow Bastion. Help you guys restore the city." He offered.

"It's not the schooling I'm worried about!" Cloud growled.

"It's my parents, I know," Roxas turned to him, "but I need to confront them anyway. I need to know why they couldn't just love me too. I won't be able to live the rest of my life without knowing!"

Cloud was about to say something again, but Yuffie was actually the one to stop him, "Cloud... if this is what he wants to do, let him do it."

The three older kids all exchanged looks before settling their eyes on me, "Olette... you would look after him, wouldn't you?" Yuffie asked for them, looking hopeful.

"Of course!" I smiled, trying to reassure them.

"I just really need to do this." The young blond smiled as well, "And promise this... when I return to find you guys... I'll be an equal by then... not the little kid you feel you need to care for."

They chuckled simultaneously and agreed. I smiled happily for them all.


	23. Legally Blonde PART 2

**STOP!!**

**Haha, I just wanted to make sure you figured out that I updated one chapter, but in two different parts. So before you read this, make sure you've read the first part!**

**This one is going to be a bit different than the others, because, well, it's Roxas' point of view, yet it's not a story. Its the modern time.**

**I just didn't want you getting confused..**

**Read, review, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 21  
****PART 2  
Legally Blonde**

**Roxas**

"Have you packed everything?" Leon suddenly appeared over my shoulder, staring down in to my last bag.

"Yes, father." I rolled my eyes, zipping it shut, and standing to my full, unimpressive height.

"I just wanted to make sure." He frowned sadly, reaching out to set a hand on my shoulder. I nodded and took a sweeping look around my room. All my boxes, the large metal locker, and several other bigger objects (like the T.V. and the ps2) had already been moved down in Kairi's house for the last week. So it'd be there in case things didn't go the way expected back home.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You can finish this year out living with Yuffie and then stay with Kairi the remainder of your education." He offered. I rolled my eyes at his suggestion and smiled, "No, my mind is made up." Yuffie still had to finish her school year as well, being a teacher and all. Once she was done, she was planning to head up to the broken city with the rest.

"Okay." He gave me one final smile, crouching down because of my shortness, "Take care of yourself, shorty." He leaned forward to press his chin to my forehead. We pulled away and locked eyes.

"I know you said you wanted to be like equals when we met again, but I don't know if I can do that." He turned away, heading to my doorway, "You really are like a son to me."

I stared up at him with a look of respect and pride. Leon never said things like that... "You know... if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're turning in to a sap, Leon." I joked.

He laughed and messed up my blond spikes, "Comes from living next to a bunch of girls and having someone like Cloud."

"Cloud... a sap?" I nearly choked. This really took me by surprise. My best friend was not someone I would have thought to speak corny words and make another blush.

The brunette grunted with a slight smile and backed out, "I'm going to head over to the girl's. Take your time and meet us there. Olette's waiting down stairs." With that he left.

I gave my room one last, fleeting glance and sighed. I was going to miss this place a lot.

Flipping the light off, I turned stepped out in to the hallway and slowly made my way downstairs. Olette was down there, as Leon had said, but she stood quietly, waiting for me to give my final goodbyes. The apartment was completely empty, looking bare and cold, but still warm with memories. I felt more at home here in a little over a year, than I had in sixteen years back on the islands. Yet, for some reason, I was going back to that treacherous place.

"Let's go to Yuffie's." I turned to Olette. She blinked her pretty green eyes and smiled, gesturing to the door. I set my hand on the small of her back and guided her out the room, shutting the door one final time.

"Okay, okay!" Cloud laughed, sneaking back in to the girl's living room with something behind his back, "I got you something, Yuf."

The ninja bit her lip with suspiscion, curiously trying to peek around him, "What is it?"

He held out a small fish bowl, everyone's eyes traveling to the red and blue beta swimming in circles.

"So you don't get lonely." He explained, letting the ninja take it from his hands.

She laughed and hugged it to her, "Well thanks Blondie!"

"Okay, we really need to get going." Aerith gave a sad smile, "I'm sorry."

Everyone stood and went through a round of hugs with the black headed girl. She ushered them away after a few seconds, reminding them she'd be there in a few months. They turned their attention to me instead.

"Oh, please be careful!" Aerith cried, hugging me tightly. I returned the gesture warmly, nestling my head in her neck, "I will." She pulled away and looked at me, "Promise?"

"I promise!" She laughed and let Cloud step around her, "Don't let your parents get to you." He whispered. All I could do was nod.

Leon didn't hug me or say anything, since we already had our moment, just looked carefully at me before switching his attention to the little brunette girl at my side with all the others.

"And Olette!" Aerith grabbed her hands, "I'm so glad I met you! Just another addition to my long list of children!" Olette giggled shyly and shrugged. Leon exchanged a few words with her next and even Cloud gave her a small hug. Yuffie reminded her that she'd see her back at school after Christmas break, and she'd better have gotten all her homework done.

We stood in a circle together, silence taking over. Nobody did anything but look at each other.

"We'll see you again." Leon finally said, pulling the other two with him. They waved a final time and left the apartment all together.

"See ya Yuffie." I murmured, waiting for Olette to follow behind me.

We sat quietly on the train, staring in opposite directions. I was growing extremely nervous, and I knew my friend could tell. What if my parents rejected me? What if even after all this time, they still didn't want me?

"It'll be okay." The brunette read my mind, taking my hand to squeeze it gently.

I couldn't answer her, instead chose to sigh. We were coming closer and closer to our stop and my hands were getting clammy.

"Roxas." She whispered, tugging on my sleeve, "We're here."

"Are we?" I glanced around me nervously, hoping she was wrong. But... she wasn't. I need her to help guide me off the cart and in to the station, like a little kid. We both had one of my backpacks tossed over our shoulders and began the short walk. I was inhaling in and out slowly to regain some composure.

"What do you think will happen?" I asked her anxiously.

"Couldn't tell you. We'll have to find out." She answered, being careful not to trip over the first board to the bridge that always stuck up.

The bridge creaked beneath us, sending jolts of familiarity through me. In the distance, a little past the shallows, I saw Selphie and Wakka chasing each other through the water, splashing everywhere.

Olette was the one to lead the way down the boardwalk and up the steps to the front porch. I took one final deep breath, signaling her to ring the doorbell. She did so, immediately taking a step back, next to my side.

It took a few moments but suddenly the door was pulled open. My mum stood there, surprised.

"Rox?" She gasped, "What are you doing here?"

I blinked at the sudden use of the nickname, a little surprised myself, "Hey Mum..." I began, gripping my hands with nervousness, "I need a place to stay..." I said before quickly adding, "but just until I finish school, I swear."

To everyone's surprise, my mum started tearing up, reaching out to me, "Yes! Of course!"

She hugged me for the first time ever, and I froze. In the window's reflection I could see Olette staring wide-eyed at us, her mouth agape.

"I'm so sorry honey!" She sobbed a little, holding me tighter.

I choked down my own sob, finding myself hugging back. She _was_ my mum after all.

We stood like this for several minutes, acting like mother and son for the first time in my whole life.

"Look at you!" She gently pushed me away, scrutinizing me, "You're looking so good!"

"Yeah.." I trailed off, still feeling strange.

"And who's this?" She turned to Olette, offering a smile.

"This is my friend, Olette. She's been helping me out the last few months." I explained.

"Hello Olette." My mum smiled.

"Hello." She smiled awkwardly back.

"Well, come in, come in!" She ushered us through the door, "Is this all you brought?" She looked worriedly at the two bags.

"The rest of my stuff is over at Kairi's." I told her.

X.

There was a knock at the door and I jumped the last half of the steps to get to it. Riku was waiting on the other side, his face not even paling as the door opened. If I was him, I'd be scared shitless at prospect of running in to my parents... but not Riku, he wasn't afraid of anything. I smiled, feeling even more at home.

"Hey Bud... we brought something for you." The silver headed boy punched my arm and then showed me a red metal locker lounging outside the door, with Wakka smiling on the other side.

"Thanks guys!"

They lifted the prized possession and started carrying it up the steps. I almost shut the door, but Kairi was suddenly there. We exchanged looks before she squealed with delight, "ROXAS!"

I staggered back as she leaped in to my arms, throwing her arms around my neck. Olette and my mother came in to the front landing once they heard the commotion, watching us with matching grins.

I embraced the lithe girl in my arms, twirling her in a circle. "I missed you." I told her, squeezing a bit tighter.

Her eyes filled with tears at that and she held my face in her hands, "I missed you too. It's been strangely quiet without you and Cloud all this time."

"Really." I laughed, not sure if I could believe that, and held her at arm's length.

"Come to my house tonight.. and you too Olette!" She looked over my shoulder at the brunette girl, "Hang out with us... just like old times, please? Tidus and Wakka will be there, and Riku and your brother. It'd be fun!"

I was doubtful for a second, unsure. Heck... what could it hurt?

"Okay."

She squealed again, hugging me quickly before running over to Olette. The two girls began talking excitedly about plans.

I sighed with content and turned to see Riku and Wakka coming back down the steps.

Everything was perfect again.

* * *

**_It's not over yet! A few more chapters to go!_**

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	24. Leave Out All the Rest

**I'm not sure yet, but this might be the last update for a little bit... school starts again tomorrow and work and show choir and everything else that takes up my life! So who knows...**

**I was actually going to make this chapter a PART 3, because well, it would have fit... but I guess not anymore.**

**slightlee-.-sarkastik:** _Haha you can add this to my list of quick updates in a short span... but I'm sad because the streak is pry going to end here..._

**LawlietxRinoa:** _Roxas' mum is, and will forever be, a bitch... so don't get too excited for him. Don't worry.. Axel's coming back in to play very very very soon... (coughcough) next chapter (coughcough)_

**SarahXxUnlovedxX:** _Short review, long review... any feedback is always good lol_

**EvilLeo01:** _Don't get too comfy with Rox's mom's sudden cuddliness._

**SporkFilledDeath345:** _Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you... I stopped putting who's POV it was at the top... oops... and yeah something is going to happen, of course lol, but I'm not sure if it'll be seen as good or bad yet... hmm..._

**With a side of stereotype:** _When you said 'the shit is about to hit the fan' or w/e, I couldn't help it, I laughed. That's a good way of saying it..._

**9-White Cloaked Nocturne -9:** _I'm glad you feel that way!_

**BanpaiaYoru:** _I hope I just spelt your name right.... anywho, I'm happy that you're happy!_

**Oh and I just wanted to mention that back in Chapter... 16, I think it was... I spelt Yuna's name with an 'L' for some reason... Idk why. I should pry go back and change that at some point... I must have been out of it lol. ****I was like reading back through and saw it and was like 'Wtf? Who the hell is Luna?" Wow. **

**Disclaimer/Warning: Yeah, yeah, remind that I don't own anything...**

* * *

**_Chapter 22  
Leave Out All the Rest_**

**I dreamed I was missing,  
You were so scared  
But no one would listen,  
'Cause no one else cared  
After my dreaming,  
I woke with this fear  
What am I leaving when I'm done here?**

**So if you're asking me,  
I want you to know**

**When my time comes,  
Forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed  
Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory,  
Leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest,**

**Don't be afraid  
I've taken my beating, I've shared what I made  
I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through  
I've never been perfect, but neither have you**

**So if you're asking me,  
I want you to know**

**When my time comes,  
Forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed  
Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory,  
Leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest**

* * *

"Roxas..." My mum spoke up from her place beside Olette, "before you go anywhere, I think we need to have a discussion."

I tried not to change my expression, but I'm sure my face had fallen.. at least a little bit. Olette and Kairi shrank back at the sudden awkwardness and headed to the door, grabbing the boys on their way, "Well, we'll see ou at my house later. Show up any time!" Kairi gave me a thumbs up and rushed out the door.

I swallowed harshly and followed my mum to the kitchen. What would she say? Was she still mad? I tried not think on the subject too hard as we waiting at the kitchen table, waiting for my father to come down the hall.

"First things first Roxas," She held up a finger, wiggling it back and forth, "I realize you and I haven't always been on the best of terms, but brushing that aside, for once, I want us to act as a family should." She took a deep breath at this, exchanging a look with her husband, "Now, I don't know who that boy was back when... you know... we found you two... and, uh.." She seemed to be losing focus, stopping to find the right words, "If you want to be interested in, well, boys, like _that_, then... we support it. All I can say is, I don't want to see and I don't want to hear about it!" She scrunched her face a bit, "I realize it's not right to judge, but I just... don't like it, okay? So as I said, we'll support it, but we won't encourage it."

I nodded softly, accepting this.

"As for how I've treated you the last... sixteen years... I am truly sorry. But that's it. We're not suddenly going to become the best of friends, okay?" She crossed her arms.

So nothing had changed.. well, except that she now acknowledged I was alive. But seriously? What kind of mother was she?

"I don't get it..." I finally spoke up. Because really, I didn't. So she admits she treated me wrongly, but she wasn't going to change?

"It's complicated, Roxas." She sighed, uncrossing her arms, "I'm not sure if I could ever get you to understand it. For now though, I'll allow you to live in this house free of charge."

My mouth fell open a little bit, shock very nearly pouring off me... live here? Free of charge? As if she was renting a room out!

I was her son!

"What about Sora?" I choked out.

"Sora is under the same circumstances. If he needs a place to stay, he can stay in his old room. I won't tolerate Riku's presence though. That boy has caused me enough trouble." She shook her head, a dark look crossing her features. I stored that bit of information away for later, to ask Riku about it.

"Are we clear?" She suddenly asked.

"Sure." I scooted my chair back ruffly, probably scratching the floor, and ran up the steps. They continued to talk downstairs as if the conversation had never happened, and I slammed my door shut. What the fuck was wrong with my family? Was my homecoming the other day just an act? She had seemed so relieved to see me!

Taking a deep and calming breath, I bit my lip and told myself to forget. I was going to see my twin again tonight... that was enough to bring my good mood back.

--

"Are you serious?" Sora leaned forward on the couch, his eyes downcast in thought, "She's such a bitch!"

I nodded my agreement and sat back, "Even ask Olette! She had seemed totally happy to have me home the other day!"

Sora looked from me to the brunette, as if to confirm this, and Olette nodded solemnly.

"It's wierd." She admitted.

"Well what the fuck?" My twin shook his head, his spikes fluttering around and only taking on a messier look, "Our parents need help."

"I know, right? But!" I held up a finger, catching everyone's attention, "I'm not going to let this get to me. All I need to do is finish school and I am good to go."

"Exactly!" Kairi swung back in the room, a happy grin on her face, "So let's just pretend this dumbass predicament is not happening and have a good time! Just like the old days!" She settled about three bowls of popcorn on the coffee table, reaching towards a DVD display to pull a couple out, "So what do we want to watch?"

"Something scary!" Wakka suggested, flopping down on an open spot on the couch. Selphie's face went down with a scared frown and she shook her head unhappily, "No!"

"Oh please, Selph." Tidus groaned from his spot on the coffee table, "If you had your way, we'd be watching Barbie's Fun House and Shoes!"

The brunette settled her hands on her hips, pouting, "Would not! Give me a break... I was seven!" She huffed and turned away before an evil smile lit her face, "Besides, you're just still bitter that you used to let me put make up on you!"

There were several catcalls from Sora and Riku, and I hid a small laugh behind my hand. Tidus face turned scarlet and he waved his arms in front of him, "Not true! You're confusing me with... Cloud or something! I never let you put make up on me!"

"Yeah, right..." Selphie gave a satisfied smirk, "As if Cloud would have sat still long enough for something like that."

There were several more minutes of laughter before Kairi calmed down enough to choke out a, "So which movie?" between giggles.

"One of the new ones." Riku pointed towards the top, "Like that House Bunny one or something." Everyone gave their approval, not like any one ever disagreed with Riku, and we settled comfortably in the living room.

But there was still something nagging at the back of my mind, "So Riku, why is it my mum doesn't want to tolerate your presence?" I repeated her same words from earlier.

The silver headed boy grinned, "I got in a fight with your Dad a little after Sora was kicked out. We haven't been on the best of terms since."

"Why are you so smug about it?" I asked, thinking of how he hadn't seemed uncomfortable at all walking in the house this morning.

"I won." Was all he said, hugging Sora closer. I stared at the two of them for a moment longer, trying to piece it together. In the end, I was still confused.

--

The popcorn ran out at least three times, (we were hungry!), and Kairi jumped up eagerly to get it every time. She was still so excited that we were all together again.

"Well, that was..." Wakka began as the ending credits rolled by. He couldn't seem to find words to describe it and looked around for a little help.

"Interesting?" Riku suggested from beneath Sora's sleeping form.

"That lazy butt!" Kairi poked the brunette's knee from the floor and laughed. It was only seven and my twin was already passed out. Typical.

"What next?" Selphie asked, crawling back to the DVD stand.

"Hey, I know!" Tidus scooted out from his strange location under the table, "Let's go swimming! Or let's battle it out or something! Riku and Sora versus Wakka, Selphie, Kairi, and me!"

"No way, we'll lose again." Kairi's hands unconciously wrapped around her arms, as if searching for bruises that were long gone.

"No we won't!" Tidus stood up, "Because this time we have Olette and Roxas with us!"

"How about Hide and Go Seek?" Riku offered instead, "It's almost dark anyway, and I my lazy ass partner wouldn't be much help... not that I can't beat all of you on my own."

"Hide and Go Seek?" I laughed, "What grade are we in again?"

"Never too old for fun!" Kairi chirped, diving on top of her two favorite boys to begin tickling my brunette twin. There was a squeal on Sora's part, a curse on Riku's, and then the three of them tumbled off the couch.

"What the hell?" Sora swatted the two away, holding his sides protectively.

"We're playing hide and seek." Wakka informed him, "Not it!"

"NOT IT!" Everyone screamed at once. There was a dead silence before Sora rubbed his eyes sleepily and groaned, "..not it..." rather pathetically.

"Wait, first we need teams." Tidus began counting us up, "There will be four teams of two."

"Not fair." Selphie held up a hand, "Sora's already it, so no one is going to want to be his partner."

"Riku will!" My twin smiled up at the silver headed kid, who made a show of whistling and looking way. "Stop it!" Sora lightly punched him, "Jerk!"

"I'll decide teams." Tidus finally declared, glancing around, "And pairing Riku and Sora together is a big no no, because they'll just start making out when no one is looking." Everyone rolled their eyes, as if thinking of a certain memory and I felt rather left out. When had the two boys outted their realationship to all our friends, anyway?

"How about... Sora and Wakka, Kairi and Olette, Riku and I, and Selphie and Roxas. Sound good?" Nobody disagreed and we began aligning with our partners. Selphie latched herself to my arm and I quickly told her that she was only allowed to follow me if she stayed quiet.

"What are boundaries?" Wakka asked from Sora's side.

"Hmm..." Tidus rubbed his chin, glancing around, "Let's make this major! How about all of the island and... Twilight Town... up to the train station?"

The entire group's eyes widened. Those were huge limits!

"Fuck yeah!" Riku grunted, a smirk on his face. He grabbed his blonde partner and pulled him out of the house, "We begin now!"

Sora and Wakka groaned, knowing they'd probably be It for a long time. I wheeled around to grab Selphie's arm and we ran out of the house, listening to Kairi and Olette's giggles die behind us.

"Where are we going?" The brunette chirped.

I smiled at how cute she was and realized yes, I had missed this, "I don't know yet, just keep running."

We crossed the bridge to the neighboring town and I grimaced at the pounding of our feet. Hopefully we could outrun them if the need ever arrived. Though, I highly doubted it.

"I know the perfect place." I finally decided, grabbing her small hand and leading her across the sandlot. Hoping Olette didn't have the same plan, I brought her to the place deemed 'The Usual Spot.'

Nobody followed us in and I figured we'd be fine.

"Wow, what is this place?" Selphie whispered, letting go of my hand and searching the dusty room.

"It's Olette's friend's hang out." Then after a second thought I raised a finger to my lips, "Shh!"

She smiled at me through the dark, shaking her head with a whispered, 'boys..' trailing after.

There were footsteps outside the dirty sheet and I pulled the girl against me, tucking us behind the couch. Tidus whispered something frantically to Riku, who peeked his head inside and looked around.

I popped up behind the couch, explaining the place was taken and smiling when they frowned and hurried to find somewhere else.

We stayed crouched for about fifteen minutes before both our phones vibrated at the same time. We carefully pulled them out, blinking as they blinded us.

'The girl's are it now... might want to find a new spot everyone!' It was from Wakka.

"Shit... Olette will look in here." I told my tiny partner, standing. She stood as well and we filtered out of the hangout.

"Where else?" She asked me, pulling on my arm, "Come on, Roxas. You know this town better than anyone else here... well, not true, Olette might know it better, but still!"

"Shh!" I told her again, trying to think. The brunette actually quieted down and the silence that followed gave me a sense of relief.

"How about..." I stopped mid sentence, losing my thought. Oh well, better wing it.

"Let's just go!" I yanked on her and she nearly stumbled at we ran up the hill. After several failed attempts to quiet her down, I laughed a little as well when we tripped over a badly placed trash can and made a huge commotion. Two shadows appeared at the bottom of the hill, and after glancing over our shoulders, we squealed (yes, we _both_ squealed).

The dark figures followed behind us, looking a little too eager to be anybody _but_ the girls. Turning corner after corner and running a little out of breath, I was a kind of surprised the girl at my side had been able to keep up.

"Where... now?" She huffed, looking around us. We had lost the two a few turns ago, but that didn't give us any reason to not still be on the look out.

"Down here?" I suggested, making my way down another street. It seemed unfamiliar at first, but then I spotted the door to a place I remembered entering only once.

The candy shop.

My heart nearly stopped and I stared inside, transfixed. Selphie feet scraped against the ground behind me, I could tell she was confused.

"Roxy?" She whispered, settling a hand on my shoulder. Her touch was warm and comforting... the touch of a friend... and I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Sorry." I murmured, turning towards her, "Let's go hide back on the islands." I suggested, smiling. She smiled back, though it was strained, and glanced at the building I had been studying a second earlier, "Sure."

We had even more fun on the way back, playing a rather over the top version of James Bond and darting from crate to street sign, humming the theme music under our breath. We ran in to nobody, and therefore made it back to the islands unspotted before Selphie let out a sigh and picked up a handful of sand, "We made it!"

She twirled the pebbles around her rather dramatically, stopping to lock eyes with me, "Where should we hide?"

I thought for a second before snapping my fingers, "Under the bridge!" We retraced our steps back to the wooden crossing, and climbed over the side railing. I had to shimmy down the pole and swing my legs around so I was sitting in the under section like I would sit in a tree, and helped my partner do the same. We settled comfortably before Kairi's face appeared out of the shadows with a giggle, "Boo!" Selphie gasped, letting go of her hold on the wooden plank she was sitting on, and tumbled downward. I tried to grab her hand, but realized it was a fruitless attempt. Olette suddenly giggled as well, and they both climbed through the mass of wood to come tag me.

"Shit." I muttered, glancing down at the water below me. It was only about ten feet deep, and the drop was about double that. Selphie suddenly resurfaced, sputtering and looking up at me as she tread the water.

"Jump!" She shouted, both of us knowing neither of the girls would follow, not wanting to get wet. I took her advice and slid over the side, just as Kairi was reaching her hand out. I let go, allowing my self to drop in to the small stream of water and gasped at how cold it was.

There was a moment of confusion, where I didn't know which way was up. But a second later, Selphie grabbed blindly for my hand, pulling me up for air. I choked out some of the water, coughing a little violently. I had forgotten to plug my nose.

"You guys suck!" Kairi whined, slowly trying to find her way off the under section of the bridge without falling. Olette was doing the same, and together, they climbed back up, over the railing.

"We'll get you next time!" They pointed fingers at us, crossing their arms and running off to find someone else.

"That was close." Selphie's eyes widened as she floated on her back, "Wow, I wish the water wasn't so cold."

I laughed and agreed, swimming towards the sand bank and struggling to pull myself out. After a few useless attempts, I found a place to grab a hold of, and used all my strength to pull myself out. I had to help the brunette out as well, and we shook our bodies, trying to get most of the water off.

Her hair was sticking to the side of her face and her yellow dress clung to her body in a way that looked completely uncomfortable. I could only imagine how my own appearance was.

"Let's go. Maybe if we run around enough, we could dry off a bit."

I approved of that suggestion, trying to shake some of the water out of the jeans that were now hugging me in all the wrong places.

"You look like a wet puppy." She raised a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh, "Aw."

I rolled my eyes, knowing I was right when I figured having a girl for a partner would be a bad idea.

* * *

**I have good news for the next chapter... it contains Axel!**

**And so will every chapter from now until the end. Why? Cuz Axel is a sexy bitch and needs the attention back on him!**

* * *

-**_Jaspen_**


	25. Seize the Day

**This chapter is actually dedicated to Ren13013, because I was experiencing a bit of writer's block on this chapter, and could not for the life of me think of a way to start it. But she gave me an idea with the comment about their phones, and even though it doesn't really have any significance to the story, it helped me push the beginning out, and I was able to write quite a bit after that...**

**I know this chapter is short -avoids rocks and other various objects thrown-, but I really couldn't push any more out.. I 'm sorry lol. Like I said, I'm developing some writer's block, and my schedule is picking up again. I will be back though, don't worry. I spend a lot of my class time trying to write the next chapters for this story, seeing as that is when most of my random inspiration comes, so yeah! **

**Not sure how long until the next update, could be soon, could be a while, I can't honestly tell you. Hopefully it' sooner rather than later though.**

**TheFallenOnes:** _I'm not sure... is this considered fluff or angst lol? Pry angst.._

**SporkFilledDeath345:** _Yes, Axel is back. Not for much in this chapter, but in every chapter from here on out!_

**LawlietXRinoa:** _Lol, trust me, that hide and go seek game is fun... lol we used to play it when we were little, except it was more of a capture the flag game. The town used to get so mad because we ran through everybody's lawns._

**With a side of stereotype:** _I've been waiting for this as well, because I enjoy writing about Axel very much!_

**SarahXxUnlovedxX:** _Of course Axel's back... lol he's the main event._

**EvilLeo01:** _You can't swim?? oh my gosh, scary! I would probably have a heart attack every time I was within five feet of water!_

**slightlee-.-sarkastik:** _I agree, it does make it more fun! (Especially when you're not it!)_

**BanpaiaYoru:** _Well thank you!_

**Kitsune Curoryu:** _--waves like a queen-- I try my best. lol_

**9-White Cloaked Nocturne-9:** _I've always imagined them following Riku's every word. He seems to be the unspoken leader of the island kids..._

**Azul the Noah of Knowledge:** _ah, a newcomer! lol yes, but Axel deserves the attention back on him. You can't be that sexy and be cast aside!_

**Sora's Sacrifice:** _lol yeah Roxas' mum is a bitch. I thought about making her completely motherly and transformed, but it just didn't fit..._

**Disclaimer/Warning: Swearing, boy/boy, blah blah blah....**

* * *

**_Chapter 23  
Seize the Day_**

**Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost  
It's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over**

**I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time  
But I'm too young to worry  
These's streets we traveled on will undergo our same lost past**

**I found you here, now please just stay for a while  
I can move on with you around  
I hand you my mortal life, but will it be forever?  
I'll do anything for a smile, holding you 'til our time is done  
We both know the day will come, but I don't want to leave you**

**I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time  
But I'm too young to worry  
(a melody, a memory, or just one PICTURE)**

**Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost  
It's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over**

**Olette**

"I can't believe they jumped right in!" Kairi shook her head, looking amazed.

"A little desperate not to lose, huh?" I asked.

The dark red head laughed and tried to look serious at the same time, "We take games very seriously here on the islands. Nobody wants to lose."

"Like we did?" I rolled my eyes, biting my lip at the cool air. She laughed a second time and shrugged.

"Hope they didn't ruin their phones..." Kairi suddenly glanced over her shoulder, back to the bridge.

* * *

**Roxas**

"Shit." I tried to desperately squeeze my hand in to my tight jean pocket.

"What is it?" Selphie was ringing out her hair.

"My phone..." I groaned as I managed to yank it out. The screen was completely dark and after pushing the power button several times, I figured it was a lost cause. Selphie watched me quietly before sighing and pulling her own out, staring down at it with a mad look.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She suddenly shouted, chucking it at the ground. I stepped back, a little surprised by her outburst, "Selphie! Language!"

"Oh shut up!" She huffed, kicking sand over top of the ruined device for added effect. I dropped mine next to hers, groaning in defeat, "I feel like I'm at a funeral."

The brunette rolled her eyes and began making her way up the sand bank. I followed after her when I was finished with my moment and we both shivered violently at a passing gust of wind. She flipped her wet hair around her shoulder, spraying me in the face, "That's was probably a really stupid idea. Jumping in, I mean."

I wrapped my arms around myself and grinned, "Spur of the moment?"

"It was pretty quick ass, though!" She brightened. After pretending to do a couple karate moves, she jumped a few steps, "Oh, oh! Like in the movies!"

I grabbed her arm and set it back at her side, "Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself."

* * *

**Olette**

"We should split up!" Kairi announced, snapping her fingers, "Maybe we could find someone quicker this way?"

I agreed it was a good plan and parting ways, I followed the road to the sandlot.

There were voices in the dark and I froze, not wanting to give myself away. They were too hard to hear, so I darted closer. It wasn't any of the boys and it sure as hell wasn't Selphie. Scrunching my eyes in confusion, I arched around a barrel to see their shadows.

"Where'd he go?" One asked, searching the darkness. Another one answered, his voice sounding very familiar, "Don't know."

"Why don't you call him?" A third member suggested.

"Already tried. No answer." The second voice informed.

"Maybe he was like, taken by a vicious cult, you know? Or maybe aliens swooped down and-"

"Just stop."

I didn't want to eavesdrop on the trio anymore than I already had, so I turned quietly to head back the way I came.

"Hey, Demyx..." The third voice began. I froze.

"Yeah?"

"I'll pay your five bucks if you don't talk for the next ten minutes."

"Seriously?"

"Starts now."

"Oh, okay!" The first voice seemed to smile.

"Larxene, quit playing games with him. Demyx, you know she'd never pay you."

_Demyx?_

_Larxene?_

Weren't they from...

"Zexion, why do you always have to ruin my fun?"

"Why do the both of you always have to talk?"

I figured the three were probably glaring daggers at each other in the dark, and I took the moment to silently make my way towards them.

"Hey there's someone coming!" One of the voices shouted.

"Axel?" Another one asked, sliding under the street light.

I stopped in place to study the figure under the glow. It was a blond girl, maybe a little taller than me, with two identical bangs that stuck up. She hugged her black coat tighter to herself and squinted to see me.

Raising both my hands in caution, I coughed and shivered before announcing, "Not Axel. You don't know me."

Two black, gloved hands set themselves on the girl's waist and she tilted her head to the side, "Okay... well, have you seen a lanky, awkward, redhead anywhere? Green eyes... probably talking to himself..."

"Uh... no?" I took a step, bringing me fully in to the light. The other two shadows stepped out as well and I stared at each of them in turn.

"Wow." I laughed, rubbing the back of my head.

"Jeez girl, you got a staring problem?"

"Larxene! Be nice!"

"You're Demyx." I suddenly pointed to the blond who had last spoken, almost poking him in the chest, then turned to the slate haired one, "And you're Zexion!"

All three stared at me, confused, with looks of distrust.

"I'm Olette." I gestured to myself and then smiled my politest smile, "I've heard about every single one of you from Roxas."

"Roxas?" Demyx was the first to speak, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet, "Hey, hey! We know him!"

* * *

"I'm s-so c-c-cold." Selphie shivered violently, latching herself to my side. I tried to rub the goosebumps on my arms away, but they refused to leave.

"Just let us find _someone_ first... that way we can head home." I offered, starting the climb up the tower, "I'm sure we'll catch someone up here."

Selphie carefully pulled herself up beneath me, whimpering every few seconds as she glanced back at the ground.

"Stop looking down." I finally warned, not exactly causing the reaction I wanted from her, seeing as I nearly slipped right after and she let out a frightened squeal.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..." She whispered under her breathe, nearly closing her eyes. My hand found the stone ledge and I managed to pull my self on to the top of the clock tower, helping Selphie after I had gained my footing.

"See it's not so bad up here."

She glared at me through the dark, but slapped a hand to her mouth when she looked over my shoulder, "There's someone there." She whispered, pointing behind me.

I turned around, surprised to see that, yes, there was someone there. A skinny shadow was standing on the other edge, staring up at the sky. It seemed as though they had yet to spot us.

"Hello?" Selphie suddenly asked, stepping behind me.

The figure glanced at us over their shoulder, before doing a double take and turning completely around.

"Roxas?" They asked, waiting for an answer. I was too scared to respond.

That voice....

It sounded familiar.

There was a brief moment of interrupted silence, where Selphie shifted her weight. The figure decided it was a good time to pull back their hood, revealing a head of recognizable red hair, and eyes that were so green, they nearly glowed in the dark.

"Axel?" I let out a choked gasp, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

His lips turned up in a full smile, allowing his white teeth to shine through.

I pinched myself several times, feeling as if I was in a dream. Being stuck between wanting to hug him and wanting to hit him, I chose the latter and sent a hard punch in to his jaw, shouting something that sounded vaguely like, "You bastard!"

"Well..." He staggered back, bringing a hand to his stinging mouth, "That was probably deserved."

"That and so much more!" I yelled, flailing my arms in the air.

"But..." He paused again, giving me a pout that looked entirely too young for him, "Don't I get a kiss too?"

"No!" I shouted, turning away just because if I didn't, I probably would have given in, "You don't deserve anything!"

He chuckled softly, looking back up at the sky, "I see your temper's still in check."

"Why are you here? In Twilight Town?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

"I came back... _again_." He smiled a second time, running a hand through his red locks, "I'm sorry, Rox."

I wasn't sure what to say next, so I crossed my arms like a child and frowned. Selphie took this time to introduce herself, "Hi!" She greeted the redhead brightly, reaching for his hand, "I'm Selphie! You've never heard of me, but I think I've heard of you!"

Axel eyed her hand carefully before taking it and nodding his head, "I'm Axel, Roxas' older, more mature, and devilly handsome boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes and snorted, "Oh yeah?"

He ignored me and continued to shake the brunette's small hand, "Well, at least I _was_ his boyfriend. Now I'm just this older guy who misses his little Roxy-kitten and wants to hold the little, blond, ball of fury in his arms once again."

"Aw!" Selphie squealed, bring a hand to her lips.

I grunted at the stupid nicknames and looked away, "Selphie... please tell the dumb, redheaded Sasquatch that I'm not _interested_ in pursuing a relationship with him because he has twice now broken my heart."

The brunette looked to Axel and waited as the guy smiled sadly and replied, "Please tell Roxas that said Sasquatch is sorry for all his wrong doings, and only wants to take the cute little, broken kitten out to lunch sometime to mend things."

"Why?" I pulled myself out of the third-person conversation and set my hands on my hips, "Why bother with all this? You're just going to leave again or something."

"I miss you." Was all he said.

I frowned and paced towards the other end. I could feel those emeralds staring in to my back, probably looking so sad and pleading, Hitler would have stopped a war for them.

"Please?" He whimpered in a voice that entirely un-Axel, and stepped towards me.

"Fine." I sighed, holding up a quick finger, "But I decide when the date ends, and you have to buy me ice cream."

The redhead looked so ecstatic, Selphie was dancing on her toes, "Oh, oh! _Yay _Axel!" She hugged him from behind, shocking him just a little bit, and skipped around, "I'll help you pick out your outfit, Roxas! This way you look _hot _for your guy's date."

"It's not a date!" I clarified, "It's an ex-boyfriend taking me out to dinner to apologize, so I can deicede whether he's worthy or not to be my friend again."

Our eyes met through the dark and I had to glance away, feeling the hypnosis of those twin gems beginning to take it's hold on me like before. Maybe I should make him wear sun glasses...

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	26. Stranger Than Fiction

**I'm sorry this story took almost three weeks to update.. I blame it on other stories that were far more superior and interesting to read than my own... damn akuroku stories! lol But here it is, at last. Hopefully I can get Prayer of the Children updated pretty soon as well, but the chapter I am working on is only half written right now (once again, I blame all the other addicting stories out there! I just couldn't look away!)**

**Loyal Reviewers:**

**LawlietxRinoa: **_Lol I didn't know Axel made other people scream and go crazy as much as he did me!_

**SporkFilledDeath345:** _Well I'm glad you were happy to see Dem and those guys back... they need tons of love too lol (especially Sexy Zexy)_

**With a side of stereotype:** _lol it's made of win? I like that expression_

**SarahXxUnlovedxX:**_ Good, I'm you did!_

**Ren13013:** _Ha, don't we all just want Roxas to do something like that? And yes, Axel was back to see his blond headed boy... he just drug the whole gang along as well lol_

**an-angel-in-hell:** _Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well._

**slightlee-.-sarkastik:** _lol In my eyes, if Roxas and Axel weren't as, well, meant to be as they are, the blond wouldn't probably be as much of an interest to me, but because they are, and Rox is associated with Axel, I like him too!_

**Kitsune Curoryu:** _Like Roxas could withstand Axel's beauty? lol yeah right... actually, could anyone?_

**EvilLeo01:** _Florida... you suck... I'm currently wearing sweat pants and a jacket I'm so cold right now... lol but I guess it works out okay, because I don't really like warm weather that much anyhow._

**orgymoogle:** _Haha, I see your excited lol_

**BanpaiaYoru:** _I like knowing that my reviewers are happy._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Warning: boy/boy, a silent Axel, and a knowing Riku...**

**btw, I tried POCKY for the first time! Strawberry I believe it was... pretty good!**

**Also, I reread and reread this chapter multiple times, but I still feel like I missed mistakes... if you catch anything important just let me know so I can fix it...**

**Read, review, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 24  
Stranger than Fiction**

_Of all the things you took away,  
I miss my mind the most..._

My mind was racing. Literally, racing. I felt as if every fiber of my being was on fire... in a complete blaze. Though, somewhere in the recesses of my stupid mind, I realized what an idiot I was for leaving the way I did. Practically squeaking and running away.

But was it my fault, really? The dumb redhead should have known not to be so stupid! He had touched me. Seriously... he touched me. Grazed his fingertips aross my face! I had sat in utter shock at first, but once his fingers connected, my face had burned under his touch! As if someone had pushed a flame to my cheek. It had been too much.

"Roxas!" Selphie yelled from behind me, her shout coming breathless and confused.

In my sprint down the street, I chanced a look back at the tower, where Axel was still standing, and swallowed rather painfully. The bright and overly large moon was settled behind him, allowing only a dark outline of his tall body to be seen. It was almost creepy.

"Roxas, wait up!" Selphie cried out again.

I ignord her pleas and kept running. There was only one person I wanted to see right now and that was Olette. I needed to tell someone who would understand.

"Roxas!" I could hear one final effort in the last call, informing me that she would be giving up in a few seconds if I didn't wait.

Rounding one more corner, I skidded to a halt when I spotted the one I was looking for under a street light.

"Olette!" I nearly tripped in my haste to get to her, stumbling over my own feet, "I saw him! He's bac-"

"Hey Roxas!" And I finally noticed the two figures behind her. Freezing in my tracks, my eyes widened in horror...

"Demyx?"

The blonde smiled eagerly, too excited to pick up on my uncomfortableness, "Hey!"

There was a still moment of awkwardness, at least for everyone besides Dem, then he threw his arms around my neck and embraced me tightly.

I could see Olette's jaw drop over his shoulder, Larxene only staring at her nails rather boredly. The brunette covered Selphie's mouth as the sophomore approached, hushing her immediately.

"I mean..." The blonde suddenly pulled away, biting his lip hesitantly, "We're uh... just, uh..."

"It's okay, Dem. I already ran in to Axel." I told him, taking in the way his shoulders dropped and he ran a hand over his forehead rather dramatically, "Good, because I hadn't exactly practiced the whole 'We're just here on vacation' speech yet, and, well-"

"He get's it." Someone silenced the blond. I looked up to see Zexion there as well. He had grown rather tall.

"Hello Roxas." He nodded to me. I hadn't ever known the younger boy all that well, but with the way he looked at me, I wondered how much Axel had told him about me.

"Hi." I finally sighed. Tonight's exertions were finally catching up with me, and I felt the overwhelming urge to lie down.

"I think I need sleep." I finally told them, leaning forward on to my knees.

Zexion nodded with understanding, gesturing to the others, "We should be going. Axel's probably back at the apartment now. Maybe we can come see you soon?"

"Tell Ax I moved back in with my parents." Turning away, I waved over my shoulder and tugged the two girls with me.

"Who were they?" Selphie finally asked.

"Old friends." Was all I told her. Once we hit the islands again, Olette ushered Selphie home and set out a mass text informing everyone that we had quit. After that she helped me to my room.

"You must be sleepy." She whispered, lying me on the bed. There was moment where I felt her pull my socks off and roll me under the covers.

"Why is he back?" I muttered, staring up at the brunette. She thought carefully before shrugging and brushing my bangs back in a complete motherly-like fashion, "He must really care."

With those final words, I drifted off.

_Maybe he did care._

X.

"_Wake up, Roxy!"_

I groaned with pity for myself. Did anyone else ever wake up to Selphie's chirpy voice?

"Mmm, go away."

"Nuh uh! You're getting up." She patted my cheek, "You have a big date for lunch!"

"I do?" I rolled to my other side, burying my head in the pillow.

"Yeah, silly! That redhead from last night called."

"What!" I jumped up, ignoring the pounding headache that released itself from my actions, "Did he call here?" Had my mother picked up?

"No, actually." She giggled, "He called Riku, who was too tired to do anything, and in turn called me!"

I scrambled to find some clothes, throwing things all over the room and destroying it in my haste.

"Whoa, settle down!" Selphie giggled, picking up the pair of pants that had landed at her feet, "It's only nine."

"Nine?" I asked, dumbfounded, "Selph... you said my date wasn't until noon..." The brunette shrugged innocently, tossing everything back in the closet. Still confused, I stopped her, "Why the hell did you wake me up so early?"

She finally smiled, turning to face me, "We're going to make you look the sexiest you ever have."

"Why?" I sat back on my bed, rubbing my eyes, "This isn't a date."

"So why were you so excited when I said he called? And you just called it a date!"

"Because I haven't seen Axel in a long, long, time."

Her dark eyebrow rose slyly, a smirk forming on her lips, "And it has nothing to do with the fact that AXEL IS A TOTAL HOTTIE?"

My face turned beat red and I coughed, "Selph, he's not a total hottie."

"Liar!" She accused, nearly smacking me, "Your eyes nearly dropped out of your head when you saw him."

"Because I was _surprised_." I felt a little foolish arguing with her. It was like arguing with a five year old. Selphie rolled her eyes and began digging through my closet, "If it makes you feel any better, Olette's coming over later."

"It does, actually." I groaned and tried to discreetly crawl back under the covers. But alas, Selph saw me and screeched, "Oh no you don't!" She latched on to my ankle and pulled. Fingers clawing the sheets, I held as long as I could before my grip loosened and I was yanked off the bed.

"Lazy butt!" She stuck out her tongue, turning back to my clothes.

"Did I miss something?" Olette finally appeared at the door, hands on her hip. I stared fearfully at her and mouthed 'Help!' She seemed to take the hint and stepped towards the other brunette, "Selphie?"

"Yes?" Her voice was muffled since she had her head in the closet.

"Why don't you go grab some breakfast for Roxas and I'll get a head start on the pickings."

Selphie stared back at her, pondering this, before she shrugged and skipped out of the room. I lay back on my bed with a deflated sigh "Thank you."

"So Selph told me Axel called. Wants to go out for lunch?"

"Something like that."

She nodded her head and stood in front of me, "So what's going to happen?"

I groaned and sat up, "I'll tell you what's going to happen. We're going to talk about the past and stuff. I'm going to try as hard as possible to pretend like I hate him, and want nothing to do with him. Then eventually I'll give in and take him back with open arms because he's, well, _Axel,_ and as hard as I try, I can't convince myself that I don't want to be with him. After all that, I will probably call you up and complain about the whole thing."

She laughed and pinched my hand, "Well, I'll be awaiting your call."

X.

There a 'ding' above me as I pushed the door to a small restaurant open. It was fairly crowded and I stood on the front mat for a moment, attempting to find Axel in the mass of tables and people. I found him in the back corner, sipping on some kind of drink and stretching.

"Hey." Was all I said at first, sitting across from him. He stared at me with what looked to be fascination, and finally greeted me with a small smile, "Everytime I see you, you seem to have grown so much older."

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. I wasn't sure what to say. Gesturing to a waitress heading in our direction, he told me, "Order anything you want."

Settling on a sea-salt shake and pancakes (random, I know) we sat in uncomfortable silence. I was staring down at my nails nervously while the redhead tapped his fingers against his cheek. Neither of us knew what to say.

Several times the tension was broken by our waitress, and once Axel asked if I liked the food well enough. Even after the check was paid and we were standing outside the building, we had yet to speak.

"So..." Axel slid his hands in his pockets, staring at me strangely, "Can I... walk you home?" I stared back for a moment, figuring there'd probably be no harm in that, "Sure."

It was still really early in the afternoon, and at one point, in some kind of silent agreement, we wound up down at the beach next to the forest. It was about half a mile away from my house, near the spot Sora and Riku had once fought during a game of Never Have I Ever. We still didn't talk as we settled in the sand a few feet away from each other. Several times I tried to think of a good topic to bring up, but alas, my mind failed me and we resulted in an antagonizing quiet.

There was splashing in the shallows a ways away from us, and after careful scrutinizing, I recognized my twin and Riku wrestling.

"Did they get together?" Axel asked me, watching the boys laugh and play.

"They did. Got caught too, just like..." I stopped myself there, coughing a bit, "Sora got kicked out."

The redhead turned his head to the side, examining me. It seemed as if a thousand emotions were spreading across his face. I couldn't read a single one of them.

He then looked out over the water, staring at the stars beginning to reflect off the shiny surface. We had been sitting out here longer than I thought.

Sneaking a look over my shoulder, I peered at Axel with curiosity. He had grown even taller (would he ever stop?) and his muscles seemed to have finally evened out. He wasn't so skinny anymore. His eyes seemed to have developed impossibly more greener and his face was now void of any freckles he once had. The twin tattoos were still sketched under his eyes, reminding me or our friendship five to six, or was it seven?, years ago.

"I should get you home."

He suddenly jumped to his feet and start walking back in the direction of my house without waiting for me. I scrambled to follow him, tripping several times in my haste. He didn't look back at me as we marched up through my back yard, his movements slowing since it was now pitch black out, and he didn't know the terrain all that well.

We made it to my front door and stood across from each other. "So..." I looked down at my sand covered shoes, "this is goodnight?"

"I guess." His voice sounded so serious and creepy, I swallowed. I was unable to look at him again, so I opted with just turning away, "Call me sometime?"

"Sure."

Incapable of stopping myself, I looked back at him, our eyes meeting a final time before time seemed to freeze.

There was a few seconds where it seemed like everything was in slow motion. Axel grunted something I didn't catch and nearly lunged forward.

Before I could even lie to myself and say I didn't want it, the redhead's mouth connected with mine in a fierce kiss. I gasped in surprise and he seized that moment to plunge his tongue in to my mouth against my own. My knees chose that time to give out and Axel had to grasp my hips to keep me up.

"You're already turning to goo at my touch..." Axel pulled away, a smirk appearing.

"Shut up." I growled, trying to push him away. I didn't quite catch on to the fact that he was the one holding me up, and we resulted in tumbling off the porch and in to the sand. I was the one who landed on top, and using this rare chance, I desperately kissed him again, sighing with relief when he continued to kiss back, his tongue struggling to gain control.

I wasn't sure what I was doing or what was happening, but I confidently, (or as confidently as I could manage), pulled up his shirt, revealing his taut stomach and heaving chest. The redhead responded with a quiver when I brought a cool hand across his skin.

"You okay?" I asked, leaning back a little. He used my hesitation to flip us over, kicking sand up everywhere.

"Umph! Axel!"

He smiled and laughed, leaving a bruising kiss on my neck, "Are _you_ okay?"

There was no chance to answer because, well, he didn't wait for one. Instead he trailed little wet kisses down my neck and landed on my collar bone. Discovering that was a paticularyly sensitive spot, he continued to lick at the skin there, enjoying the way I bucked my hips a little.

"Roxy..." His hands were even colder than mine as he tugged my shirt over my head, covering my body with his own as I shivered at the sudden chilliness. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I realized this probably wasn't that great of an idea... groping each on in my yard, I mean. Though, I ignored this and remembered the redhead had said my name, "Yeah?"

"How old are you?" He dipped his tongue in to my belly button and I gasped, "I-I... I'm almost eighteen..." The words came out breathless and needy, causing Axel to laugh a little, "Good." He pressed a hand in to my thigh and scooted himself up across my body, rubbing his cheek against my chest. I reached out to grab on to his long hair, but it wasn't there. In fact, Axel's whole body was gone.

"Ax?" I groaned, sitting up.

He stood a few feet away from me, a bright smile on his face, "It was nice seeing you, Shorty." He waved, "I'll call you tomorrow."

W-what?

He was just leaving me like this?

"Ass!" I called out, cursing under my breath. The redhead turned to wave again, laughing maniacally in the night.

"Roxas?" Riku was coming up the hill to my house, "Is that you?"

Shit! I started to scramble in the sand, looking for my shirt. It was nowhere to be found and I just flushed with embarrassment when my twin's best friend, er, lover, stood above me, "Oh, uh... hey Roxas?"

"Hi... Riku." I covered my partly naked body with my arms and stood from the dirt, "What are you up to?"

He stared at my bare chest with a sly smirk and shrugged, "Probably nothing like what I can only imagine you were just doing. Axel did call me this morning, looking for you after all."

I turned scarlet, and hoped he wouldn't be able to tell in the darkness, "Ha ha... uh, yeah."

"Anyway, I thought I heard you yelling up here and thought I'd see what the commotion was. I take it your okay? I'm sure that big hickey on your neck was wanted, right?"

"I'm fine!" I squeaked, backing away, "but I should go, like, right now!"

Turning to run away, Riku called out my name, forcing me to stop.

"Yeah?"

He laughed and held out something, "Here's your shirt."

"Uh, thanks!" I ripped it out of his hands and sprinted to the back of the house, planning to scale the tree.

Stupid Axel!

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**_-Jaspen_**


	27. Two Weeks

**I know, I know... another short chapter. Writer's block has been hitting me though, and I'm having a bit of trouble making everything flow. It's all sort of choppy.**

**Thanks to my reviewers (sorry, I'm tired, it's late, and I can't find enough will to reply to each one individually, but I appreciate all reviews! Like you seriously don't know how much I love you all for your feedback.)**

**-SavvyLovesYaoi, SporkFilledDeath345, Nikki Mustang, OrgyMoogle, lunareclipse, EvilLeo01, aznwhitekid-**

**No boy on boy goodness in this chapter... sorry... maybe the next one? ;-)**

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**Chapter 25  
Two Weeks**

**Could see it as you turned to stone  
Still clearly I can hear you say  
Don't leave, don't give up on me  
Two weeks and you ran away  
I remember, don't lie to me  
You couldn't see that it was not that way  
Swear I never gave up on you**

I felt as if all of yesterday had been a dream, and Axel wasn't really back, and hadn't really kissed me last night... nothing was real, I had just imagined it all.

But alas, it wasn't a dream, and the very real Axel dancing in front of me proved this.

"I'm not sure what that is." I shook my head, sitting back on my bed and watching the dumb redhead shake his hips to some song.

"It's a dance move!" He defended himself, throwing his arms in the air and swinging his butt around. My eyes grew wide and I choked, "That's not a dance move... that's my dog having a seizure."

Axel rolled his eyes and continued on, nearly succeeding in knocking over countless valubles in my room, "You don't even have a dog!"

"True." I agreed, smiling.

"Join me Roxy!" He called out, beginning to jump around once the song changed to a more fast and upbeat tune. I shook my head desperately and tried to escape, "No, I'm okay, thanks!"

"Suit yourself." He responded, losing himself in the music again. I watched him in horror for several more minutes before standing and heading to the kitchen. My parents were both at work for the day, so I had deemed it safe for the redhead to come over to the house.

I stared blindly out the kitchen window in a daze, wondering what the hell I was doing. "Axel..." I whispered, leaning back against the counter. I was making the same mistake I made last time, I could tell. Not to mention, I had completely skipped the reintroductions this time and jumped right back in to a relationship with him. That probably wasn't a good idea.

"Thinking?" The redhead suddenly appeared in the doorway, staring at me. I jumped and gasped, grabbing my chest in surprise, "Axel! Don't do that!" He smiled, coming closer to sit against the refrigerator, "Sorry."

Breathing deeply to regulate my breathing, I sighed and glanced outside again.

"Confused?" He asked this time, reaching an arm out and pulling me to him. I nodded, burying my face in his shoulder and inhaling his scent. His chest was warm and I ran a hand along it.

"Can we take this outside? I need a smoke."

I nodded and stepped away, leading the way to the front porch. Once outside, he sat on the bench and kicked his feet up, lighting up a cig and hastily taking a drag.

"Can I try?" I asked, watching the smoke rising from the cancer stick. He looked between between it and me, thinking, "Ah, I don't think so."

"Please?" I begged, holding out my hand. He sighed and took a another puff, "It's bad for you Roxy." I crossed my arms childishly and rolled my eyes, "I'm seventeen, not twelve. I can decide for myself."

"Ugh..." He groaned, reluctantly holding it out to me. I quickly took it and carefully brought it to my lips. I'd never done this before, so I copied what I used to see him do a million times. Placing the smoke between my lips, I took a experimental puff and let it sit. It was a strange taste, nothing too special, and I didn't even cough.

"Weird." I commented, handing it back to him. He stared strangely at me, accepting it back with open fingers, "It's not for everyone."

"I guess." I agreed, crossing my arms again, "Why do you do it?"

"Habit."

"Oh."

He adjusted his feet to get comfortable and glanced up at me, "I just can't get over how much more grown up you are."

"Well, like I said, I'm almost eighteen. I had to grow up some time."

"True." He nodded, tossing the butt in to the sand and standing, "I like you this way though."

"Cool, I guess" I rolled my eyes and sat across from him on the porch. He watched me with a smile on his face, looking more than a little insane.

"Why are you back?" I blurt out.

He paused in his actions before turning to me with a serious expression. His mouth pulled straight and his eyebrows lowered a little, "Are you trying to start a fight, Roxas?"

I didn't answer, knowing he was right and a fight _would _develop through that question. We stood apart silently for several more minutes.

"...I took a job in the Imperial City in securities." The redhead finally said, looking at anything but me.

"O... kay?" I tilted my head in confusion. What did that have anything to do with?

"So did the others," He continued, "we start in two weeks."

I didn't reply, seeing as I had no answer. He was just going to leave again? Where was the Imperial City anyway?

"Roxas?" He looked over at me.

"Why are you telling me this?" I suddenly hissed, stepping away from the porch railing.

"Why not?" He faced me fully now, looking a little annoyed, "Roxas... I'm leaving in a couple weeks. I think that's vital information that I should tell you."

"I just got you back the other night!" I shouted, angry tears starting to roll down my cheeks.

Please... please let this be a dream.

Axel sighed and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, placing a light kiss in the corner of my eye, "I know... and I'm not sure how long it will be before I see you again once I leave. That's why I came back... to tell you."

My mind raced with confused and hurt thoughts, but I forced myself to keep control. I wouldn't yell.

"So it could be years... again?" The last word was a little choked.

He nodded with a solemn look and I knew he didn't like the whole cliche scene that was now happening. Wiping the tears off my cheeks, I swallowed harshly and pulled away, "Well, okay then... two weeks it is."

He seemed unsure of my sudden mood swing and shifted on the balls of his feet, "There won't be an argument when I leave, right?"

"Right." I promised.

He nodded, still looking unsatisfied, and sat back against the railing, "Alright then." He unfolded his arms and stood to his full height again, "I should get going, gotta help Zexion with some stuff, and your parents will probably be back soon. I'll see you tomorrow though, right?"

"Right." I again promised.

He jumped the steps and jogged up the yard through the sand. I watched his retreating back with renewed sadness and stepped back inside before any tears could fall.

_He was leaving_.... how many times had I said those words in my head over the last how many years?

--

"I got your text!" Olette announced as she barged in to my room. I didn't bother to sit up as she came over to the bed.

"Is he really leaving again?"

I gave her a depressed look, causing her eyes to widen and her jaw to slacken. She thought for a moment before sighing and sitting next to my feet, "At least he bothered to tell you this time, instead of just disappearing in your sleep."

"True." I admitted, biting my lip, "But I feel as if I've had only five minutes with him and already he's going."

"He's not going yet." She reminded me, reaching out to brush my bangs back like a concerned mother, "You still have two weeks."

"I know."

"So..." She sat up straighter, "Make the best of those weeks!"

"I'll try."

There was an echoing slap as she smacked her hand across my thigh, "Ow!" I rubbed the sore area, "What was that for?"

"You won't try.... you _will_." She demanded, looking cross, "Whining and moaning about it is only going to make it worse."

"Alright, alright!" I waved my arms in front of me, "I'll make the best of them."

"Besides, there's a lot of things you need to get done with your life... and Axel only serves as a distraction." She informed me, stilling playing with my hair, "For instance... you need to finish school." I waited as she shook her head, "Then, you need to get your life together, Rox. You're a mess."

"I know." I whispered, turning on to my side and snuggling in to my pillow. She lay on her back next to me, moving her head so she could see me, "I'm sure you're more than ready to move out of here already too. Nothing's changed... you see that, right?"

"I do." I reluctantly agreed.

"I can tutor you with your classes, get you caught up and all that." She suggested.

I laughed, "Olette... you're a freshman."

She shrugged, "So? I'm tutoring your brother... and Selphie... and Wakka."

My smile faded, "Oh yeah, I forgot you were all smart and stuff."

"Well, don't you forget it again!" She joked, poking my nose with a fake angry face.

I smiled and closed my eyes, suddenly feeling like I needed sleep. Olette's hand began to weave in to my hair again, successfully relaxing me even further. Drifting off with thoughts of the next two weeks, and how to make the most of them, I fell asleep with a grin on my face.

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	28. Every Story is a Love Story

**Finally an update... I'm sorry this took so long! Writer's block has been a bitch for this story.**

**This chapter is pretty short, but its the best I could manage at this point...**

**Also, I got my first flame ever lol I've been waiting for this day for a while. What do I do? Do I reply? I think I will I guess...**

**First of all, you telling me my story is ridiculous isn't going to force me to stop writing it. And for your line about how no one would ever stay with someone who abandoned them 3 times, how about YOU get real. Obviously YOU know nothing, because whether you realize it or not, there are relationships like that out there. And for the fact that this doesn't follow the game, fuck, this is FAN_FICTION_. I can do whatever the hell I want with my story, whether it follows the game or not. I play the games, I enjoy the games, I like reading and writing fiction off the games, hell, how far do I have to go before I am considered an actual 'fan' of the game? And really, I hate people like _you_, who know nothing about someone yet go off like you've lived their fucking life. Never anywhere did I encourage people to get themselves in to a relationship like this one, did I? I'm just writing about it. And I'm glad you hope I get in a situation like this someday, because one day, I could very possible marry the boy I have been dating for four years (who treats me amazingly btw) and sit back and laugh when you are making the mistakes and going through what I supposedly 'promote'. Anyone with a brain who reads this story would realize so far that returning to the one who abandons you is pure hell and only gets worse. And, please, don't insult the readers because they're mature enough to choose whatever the hell they want to read, because apparently, unlike you, they've moved off the fairy tales and started on more realistic stuff.**

**Oh, and I actually do believe anyone in love IS a 'submissive idiot', (myself included) because love requires sacrifices, giving in, and sometimes getting hurt. I'm not sure what relationships you've been in, but I say more power to you, because obviously they've all been perfect. Hooray for you. ****And if all my fans or readers or whatever are children like me, how old does that seriously fucking make you? Like thirty or something? Maybe you should find something better to occupy your time with rather than playing disney games and reading stories about teenage love, or as you'd say, teenage submissive idiocy. ****And if you want to know how I end this, better keep reading, because I can tell you enjoy this story SOOO much. :-D**

**Last, but not least, Axel is one of the sexiest CGI babes around, and if you don't agree, well, good for fucking you.**

**Okay, moving on to a different subject lol (sorry I had to bitch back), I'm actually sad to say that there's only a few chapters left for this story. Depressing, I know, but I'm also a little glad to get it over with... it's getting too long lol.**

**Warnings: Cussing, boy/boy, blah blah blah**

**Disclaimer: own nothing**

* * *

**_Chapter 26  
Every Story is a Love Story_**

**Every story, tale or memoir  
Every saga or romance  
Whether true or fabricated  
Whether planned or happenstance**

**Whether sweeping through the ages  
Casting centuries aside  
Or a hurried brief recital  
Just a thirty-minute ride**

**Whether bright or melancholy  
Rough and ready, finely spun  
Whether with a thousand players  
Or a lonely cast of one**

**Every story, new or ancient  
Bagatelle or work of art  
All are tales of human failing  
All are tales of love at heart**

Day one...

I shifted impatiently on the beach, watching Riku and Axel wrestle violently in the water. Sora was at my side, cheering loudly for his boyfriend, and wincing every time Riku was shoved under the surface. Selphie and Tidus were building a sand castle a few yards away, looking like a bunch of five year olds with the way they argued and swatted each other's hands away.

My back felt like it was burning beneath the sun, seeing as I still wasn't used to being exposed outside like this. My skin had visibly grown paler, and a lot more sensitive since I'd last lived on the island.

"Ah!" Axel cried out just before Riku jumped on to his back, bringing them both down and forcing the redhead's face to slap against the water. Sora chuckled at my side.

"One of them is going to drown." Selphie spoke in a serious voice. Tidus rolled his eyes and shook his head, "They'll be fine." The brunette huffed and sat with her hands on her hips, staring in to the shallows to watch the play fight, "Well, they better be careful."

Roxas turned away from her, laughing when he saw Riku trying to escape up the sand, only to be grabbed by the foot and dragged back under. Sora's legs twitched excitedly, and he bit his lip, "Come on, Roxas! Let's join them."

I thought about this for a moment.

"Come on!"

I wasn't given a choice though as Sora yanked on my hand and successfully pushed me in to the water. Wailing my arms around like a mad man, I cried out and tried to get away. An arm locked around my waist though, and managed to hold me still.

"Axel!" I twisted in his hands, attempting to escape.

"Let's play chicken, Roxas!"

Before I could have a say, he easily got me on his shoulders, leaving my feet to just barely touch the passing waves. Looking around me, I saw Sora and Riku doing the same thing.

"Be careful guys!" Selphie called out, standing at the edge of the water. Tidus was at her side, looking a bit more cheerful, "Fight, fight, fight!" He chanted, clapping his hands.

I was caught off guard as Sora and Riku flung themselves at us, nearly flipping me off the redhead's shoulders. Wrapping my legs tightly under Axel's arms and around his back, I let up with a small smile and began to retaliate. Sora and Riku were a lot less prepared, and with one easy push, the brunet slipped backwards off the other's shoulder's.

"We win!" Axel shouted.

"Best two out of three!" Riku demanded, helping Sora back up.

"Let us join!" Tidus was suddenly beside us, carrying Selphie on his back like a frightened cat.

We waited for everyone to get situated before aiming for Sora first. My twin laughed and managed to dodge me, almost succeeding in knocking us both over. Selphie came from behind, grabbing on to my shoulders and trying to yank me away. I twisted in my seat and elbowed her side, laughing when she shrieked and fell off. Tidus pouted, looking like a beaten puppy, and glared daggers at the girl once she resurfaced.

"Just you and me, then." Sora smiled, looking determined. Riku grunted and shifted beneath my brother, "Sora, you need to lose some weight... you're getting heavy."

"Or maybe you just need to work out more... because you're getting weak." Sora crossed his arms, looking down at his boyfriend.

We seized this moment to lunge out and tackled the other two. I managed to slide off, bringing the brunet down with me. Riku came down as welll, and the three of us struggled to break the water.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked once my head found air. The others popped up next to me.

"I'm fine!" I told him excitedly, "Let's go again."

He seemed overjoyed with my happiness and automatically helped me back up.

We finished the day off like that, playing chicken and swimming freely around the shallows. I hadn't had that great of a day in a long time.

X.

Day 2...

"Do you think polar bears have thoughts of love and stuff?" Sora asked seriously from Riku's bed, staring up at the ceiling. Riku gave him a stupid look before glancing to me, "Uh, Sora, I'm not sure."

"I bet they do." The brunet nodded, determined, "How else do they find their mate?"

"Don't know, I'm not a polar bear." Riku raised a curious eyebrow, "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I don't know... I'm hungry. When Axel gets here we should get something to eat."

"I could put a pizza in." The silver headed boy suggested.

"Yeah!" Sora sat up, raising a fist in the air, "I love pizza."

"Right." His friend nodded, standing and leaving the room while murmuring, "No more sugar for you."

The twins were left alone in the room, staring in different directions and hardly talking. Riku returned momentarily, helping to pick the conversation back up. Axel arrived only minutes after, announcing his entrance by slamming the front door and tripping over a kitchen chair with a loud curse.

"That's Axel." Roxa informed them, although they already knew.

The redhead peaked his head inside the door, smiling brightly when he spotted them all, "How teenagerish. Sitting quietly in a bedroom, doing nothing. I remember those days..."

I rolled my eyes and patted the seat beside me, motioning for him to sit. He did so eagerly, nuzzling his face in to my shoulder, "We should take a nap."

"Why are you so tired?"

"Yesterday wore me out." He informed us, yawning, "I haven't been that active in forever." We all chuckled at him and waited for the buzzer on the stove to go off, hungry.

X.

Day 7...

There were days Axel didn't show up to hang out. I spent those times laying around my room and hanging with Olette, cursing my shortening period left with the older redhead. Olette would hit me, remind me to cheer up, and then the two of us would use the day laying out on the beach, me attempting to regain my former tan. Despite being Axel-less, they could be fun times.

"Only a week left" The brunette reminded me sadly, her bangs falling in her eyes, "How are you planning to spend it?"

"Not sure yet actually." I admitted, shrugging, "Whatever happens happens, I guess."

"That's not a bad way to be either." Olette smiled reassuringly, "You can have some of the best times of your life that way, you know."

"Yeah." I agreed, shifting in the warm sand. The brunette beside me rolled on to her side, "You know, I have yet to see you reappear in school? I thought you agreed to attend again?"

"I did..." I trailed off. I really didn't want to go back to high school.

"Ugh, Roxas!" She sat up, "You're never going to get yourself anywhere if you don't fricking graduate!"

"I.. I know." I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Boys..." She growled, standing from the sand and checking her tan, "Can't make them do anything."

I grinned sheepishly and shrugged, "Maybe someday."

"What do you plan to do with your life?" She asked expectantly, hands on her hips, "You can't live at your parents forever, you know."

I 'tched' and folded my arms beneath my head, "Like I would ever do that."

"That seems to be the direction you're heading." She scolded, bending over and blocking the sun, "You need to get your diploma or you'll be stuck with your mum for the rest of your life. We both obviously know you don't want that."

I groaned, "I'll finish high school, don't worry! Just let it go." She rolled her eyes and stretching, "Whatever... I need to head out. I gotta date with Pence tonight." She turned pink with embarrassment, or maybe that was just from the sun, and cracked her fingers, "You hanging with Ax tonight?"

"Not sure yet." I admitted, sitting up, "He's hasn't called at all." We shifted to silence for a second before she headed up the beach, "Well, have fun with whatever you end up doing! I'm heading out!"

I waved goodbye to her and sighed with boredom. There wasn't much else to do.

Deciding to go back inside and do something semi-productive, like showering, I hissed at the sunburn that was now forming and made my way back to the house.

One week left.

* * *

_**-Jaspen**_


	29. Let Me Sign

**Okay everyone, this is the second last chapter. I'm not sure if this story has been what you were expecting, and if not, I'm sorry... I only write what comes to my mind lol.**

**To everyone that reviewed last chapter, thank you SO much!**

**Blah, this story has been super long... **

**Read and review if you choose!**

**Much Love...**

**P.S. Anyone recognize or know this song?**

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**Chapter 27  
Let Me Sign**

**She reached out for me,  
All twisted in black,  
I was on my way down,  
Never coming back,  
Let me sign,  
Let me sign,  
Can't fight the devil,  
So just let me sign**

Day 11

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching my twin brother empty a drawer of clothes in to an un-filled box and labeling it 'Clothes and Such.' He glanced up at me, "Packing."

"Oh really?" I asked a little sarcastically, "I hadn't caught on to that fact. What I meant was, where you going?"

"I'm moving out." He answered simply, kicking the full carton away, "And _you_ are helping me pack."

"Out of Kairi's? To go where?"

He left me answerless, pushing all the filled boxes towards a corner and reaching for another drawer of clothes. They would be so wrinkled later.

"To go where?" I asked again, staring at him. He shrank under my gaze and moved to the closet, pulling out an armful of shirts and dropping them inside as well. I was growing impatient with his silence and sighed, "Sora... to where?"

"Hollw Bastion." He replied, glancing warily at me. I was about to explain how all my friends had also moved there, including Cloud, but something made me pause, "Don't you still have yet to graduate? I thought you had a bit left?"

"I don't care." He shrugged, sitting on his bed, "I realized I don't need school. I'm going to go down to Hollow Bastion, help with the restoration a little bit, and live a different life."

"I see..." I somehow managed to finally figure out what he wasn't telling me, "You're moving in with Riku, aren't you?" His eyes instantly lowered and he mumbled something like, "You aren't mad, right?"

Choking on a small laugh, I stood and neared him, "Why would I be mad about that?"

Sora bit his lip timidly and stood across from me, teary-eyed, "Because I'm leaving you! Cloud left you, all your other friends left you, Axel left you, and now I'm leaving you too. Aren't you angry with me?"

Realizing that this wasn't a laughing matter, and my brother actually was really upset, I smiled carefully and reached my hand out to rub my thumb along his jaw, "Sora... I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at Cloud either... or Axel. I can't just sit and expect you guys to be here to take care of me every waking moment. You have a life to live as well."

His eyes were still watery, "I didn't want to move that far, but Riku insists. He doesn't like it here. I tried to talk him out of it, and he told me that ultimately, if I didn't want to go, he would never make me... but I think _he_ would have went, whether I was beside him or not. It scared me a little bit."

"So you're going." I stated. He smiled and nodded, "Well, it's not like it's completely against my will. I'd prefer to stay here, but I'll manage fine down there, I think."

"I'm sure you will." I added encouragingly. His blue eyes finally dried and he turned back to his half-empty room, "Wow, we really need to get going on this."

X.

I shifted in the sand, trying to move the lumps under my back around. A body stirred beside me, rolling over and throwing an arm around my waist. Axel had fallen asleep around an hour ago, and I was too content with the silence to wake him. It was already close to one in the morning, which would now make it day 12, but I ignored that small fact, and sat up to look out over the water. It was rather gentle tonight, only crashing on the shore half as hard as it normally would; and the full moon above it gave me a creepy feeling.

"Not yet..." The redhead murmured in his sleep, rolling back over. I rubbed his back soothingly, chuckling a little and laying back in the sand.

Riku and Sora were leaving in the morning, and when I asked 'why so suddenly?', my brother's reply was that they had been planning this for a few weeks now, but he was just too scared to tell me about it. I only laughed at him.

"Maybe, yeah..." Axel mumbled a little more, flipping on to his back and tossing an arm over his face. I stood from the beach and eagerly kicked off my shoes. Letting the water reach my toes, I shivered at the cold temperature, but began undressing anyway. It was the perfect night for a swim.

"What you doin'?" Axel asked incoherently, peeking one sleepy eye open. I laughed and waved, completely naked in the waist high water, "Swimming!" I called out, diving under the surface. I figured he would join me, in which I was wrong, seeing as when I resurfaced he was still sitting in the sand, watching.

"Why?" He suddenly asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

I shrugged and glanced up at the bright moon, petting the water with my fingertips, "Dunno... just feel like I won't be doing it for a long time for some reason."

"Oh." Was his reply. He scratched his red head and crossed his legs, tilting his face a little to see me in the darkness, "Having fun?"

"Yup." I smiled, diving under again. The current wasn't strong at all, and I swam beneath the surface for a little bit, breaking for air momentarily and then pushing back under. It felt good.

When I broke the water, wiping the salt out of my eyes, I smiled when I found my friend slowly undressing, "Decided to join me, huh?" His eyes flickered up from where he was hunched over and pulling off his shoes, but he didn't reply.

I was actually gathering a bit of nervousness when he reached for the belt buckle on his pants; a certain shyness taking over. Turning to give him some most likely uneeded privacy, I waded out a little further, "It's a beautiful night."

"Mmhmm." I could hear the waves slapping against his legs as he made his way in to the shallows.

"Perfect for a swim." I bit my lip.

"True."

He was getting closer now, I could feel it. His warmth was radiating off his body.

"Really missed this."

He left me answer-less, instead wrapping his arms around my shoulders and laying his forehead against the back of my neck. The entire length of his body was flushed against me, and I turned away in embarrassment.

"Missed you." He finally said, kissing the gap between my shoulder blades. We stood like that for a long while, until eventually he released his grip and turned me so we were now facing each other. My eyes automatically darted up to his, staring at the emeralds with fascination. He smiled down at me (god he is so tall) before leaning forward and kissing me. My breath caught with intimacy, forcing my hands up in surprise. I slowly brought them down on to his shoulders and squeezed gently. He seemed to take this as a good sign and pressed an eager hand to my lower back, pushing us closer, if that was possible. My legs were growing weak and I gave a little surprised squeak as they gave out beneath me and Axel had to tighten his grip to keep me standing.

"How are we ever supposed to get anywhere if you faint each time I touch you?" He chuckled, dragging me out of the water.

I punched him lightly in the stomach.

---

I woke the next morning a little confused. I was laying in the sand, my head on Axel's leg, who was still asleep, and the sun was just beginning to rise.

"You're awake." Someone spoke. I jumped up with the voice, looking wildly around me and quickly patting myself. Good... I had clothes on.

"Riku!" I was surprised to see him, sitting in the sand a few feet away, knees pulled to his chest. He glanced over at me with a smile, "I see you never made it back to the house." He gestured to the sleeping man beside me.

I shrugged and looked out at the sunrise beginning to form. This picture felt familiar.

"Remember that morning I found you out here?" Riku asked, grinning, "It was a couple weeks before your twelfth birthday..." I remembered that day very clearly.

"I kissed you, didn't I?" He asked seriously, looking at me through his long silver bangs. For a moment, I was capable of imagining him sitting the same way, pants rolled up, except about five years younger.

"You did." I admitted, shuffling close to him, "And how ironic that you're now with my brother." He laughed softly and nodded, "Funny, huh?"

"A little."

We sat together for a few minutes, Axel still sleeping silently behind us, and the sun still rising in front of us.

"I always thought the island was the most beautiful at this time of the day." He suddenly spoke. I mumbled my agreement and stared upwards. Pink was beginning to flash across the sky, "Too bad it can't stay this way all day."

"I know, right?"

Sighing, I pressed my toes against the sand and stretched, "When are you and Sora leaving?"

"In a few minutes." He began to stand and helped me up afterwards, "Should I go grab Sora for you?"

"Nah." I shook my head and he seemed a little surpised, "I'm sure I'll see him again soon."

"Well then, I better get going." We gave each other a final hug and I waved him off as he made his way up the beach.

Settling comfortably beside Axel in the dirt again, I nuzzled my face in to his neck, kissing it, and smiled when he unconsciously wrapped his arms around me.

--

"Aw shit." I woke to a stuttering of curses.

Axel was up.

"Waswrong?" I mumbled, turning on to my other side. The sand beside me stirred a little as the frustrated redhead sat up.

"I'm burnt." Was his reply. He paused for a moment before I heard a burst of laughter, "So are you. Right on the nose."

"What?" I popped to life, instantly pressing a finger to my sore nose, "Crap!"

"Guess it was a bad idea falling asleep on the beach." He chuckled a bit and rubbed my back gently, "But did you sleep well?"

"I did." I admitted, groaning at my burnt face and attempting to get to my feet. Judging by the heat and location of the sun, it was probably around noon, if not later. Axel yawned and stood as well, bursting in to another fit of laughter, "You look like Rudolf!"

"Shut up." I growled, slapping him acoss his now pink arm.

"Ah!" He gripped the tender area gently and pouted, "That hurt! I'm a little burnt there!"

"Oops."

"Asshole."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, glancing up the beach to the house, "What now?"

He too flicked his eyes towards the house, smiling manically, "Are your parents home?"

"At work." I shrugged innocently, frowning when his smile only grew bigger, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing..." He pulled me towards him with one hand and pressed his lips against my throat, "I know what we can do..."

"Oh god." I whispered, swallowed anxiously as he scraped his front teeth along the sensitive skin.

"You up for it?" He asked generously, pulling away just a bit.

"Do I have a choice?"

He stared at me for a moment before laughing, "Hell no."

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


	30. Final Answer

****

Finished at last! It's been a long time since I've started this story lol. Once again, I'm not sure if I like the direction it went, but it's been a fun first story. And I want to thank everyone who stuck through with it!

**I'm sure this wasn't the ending you expected or wanted, for which I apologize, but this is it. And whoever once commented that this story never really became an actual Roxas&Axel story, I completely agree... I'm not sure what this would be considered lol. **

**Note, I did finally write a real summary for this story.... about time, I know. I also wanted to let you know I have a one-shot written, well, mostly written, and ready to go for posting. I might wait a while before I do publish it though, because I need to work on my other two stories and I feel a little wierd because I have never written a oneshot before lol... anywho, stay alert for those if your interested.**

**Thanks to my reviewers.... you guys are amazing.**

_

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**Chapter 28  
Final Answer**

**What I need now is an honest answer,**

**To make things better.  
You can see now my hands are tied,**

**And I surrender  
So i'll wait here for your final answer,**

**Your final answer  
Is there love without hate?  
Is there pleasure without pain?  
I have seen all my mistakes  
I cast you out, but now, I want you back  
So light me again, cause my heart is turning black **

**Roxas**

_When you went home I could barely think. I wanted you to come back so bad._

Those words were ringing over and over in my head. But why? Axel had said that line to me when I was about fifteen or sixteen years old. Why was it so vividly standing out in my mind? I couldn't obtain any peace or quiet, no matter what I did.

_When you went home I could barely think. I wanted you to come back so bad._

I let out a small string of curses and collapsed on my bed in irritation. What did this mean? Why am I feeling like I'm going crazy?

Tomorrow would be day fourteen, and as much as I wish I could just easily except this, seeing as I knew it was coming, I was actually restless and stressed out. Axel was leaving again. Damn... how many times had I said that line to myself? Too many, that's for sure.

_I wanted you to come back so bad._

I was beginning to pull out my hair in frustration. It was as if I was trying to tell myself something. But what? What was I trying to point out? Was it serious? It felt that way. It felt as if I needed to figure this problem out as soon as possible. Like I was running out of time...

_I could barely think._

Well, I can barely think right now! I'm killing myself attempting to decipher this.

Where were these thoughts taking me-

Oh!

I stood up suddenly, almost surprised at my own conclusion. Looking wildly around the room, I began to shove everything in to bags.

* * *

**Olette**

It was a cloudy and rainy day. So much so that the street corners were flooding and my yard was nothing but a swamp. This information was very strange for the fact that it hardly did anything but pour out sunshine here in Twilight Town.

"This blasted rain is going to drown my tulips." My mum bustled from the kitchen and in to the living room, staring dejectedly out the window. Her flowers were indeed beginning to droop beneath the weight of the water, leaning rather pathetically to the side in a way that didn't look quite normal. "Poor things." She frowned, pressing her fingertips against the glass.

I rolled my eyes and reminded myself not to think about the fact that my mother was talking about her plants as if they were people. Did anyone else's mothers do that?

"Oh, honey..." My dad called from the kitchen, "they'll be fine!"

I chose this moment to escape to my room, which appeared to be perfect timing, seeing as the woman was now beginning to talk as if she herself were the flowers, giving each one little voices and all.

There was a pattering of rain on the roof, and I lay down on my bed with a bored sigh. Today was Day 14, and Roxas was supposed to be calling me any moment to let me know that Axel had left, and he would probably be needing my moral support soon.

But instead of a ringing cellphone, there was a knock at the front door. My mother shouted something like, "I'll get it!" and I wondered who the heck would possibly be out in this weather.

"Olette." Roxas was standing in my doorway, soaked through and dripping from head to toe. I gasped and ran to grab a towel, wrapping it around his shivering shoulders like a worried mum, "Rox! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to call me when..."

He shook his head, which caused drops of water to spray across my room, and laughed nervously, "I know, I know... but I'm going to do something kind of crazy."

"What are you talking about?"

His eyes turned down to his wet socks and back up, "I've been up all night... thinking."

"About?" I finally noticed a damp folder in his hands.

"About what I could do to control this situation." He began to pace, "I could let him go, of course, but we both know I probably wouldn't see him again for a year or more."

Assuming he was talking about Axel, I nodded to help him continue.

"I could try to move on with my life, but I've already tried that and it's just about impossible."

"Yes, yes." I was growing impatient.

"Then it hit me!" He snapped his fingers for emphasis, "I'm so blind.. how could I not have seen it before?"

"Seen what?"

"I mean, it's so obvious!"

"What is!"

"And I'm not about to let this get messed up again. I'm going to take charge this time and do something about it."

"What are you doing, Roxas?" I grabbed his arms tightly and shook him, "I'm going mad, please just tell me."

He laughed and brushed me off, a dazzling smile lighting his features, "I'm going with him."

"To the Imperial City?" I was a little astonished. I actually hadn't been expecting that.

His blue eyes sparkled and his cheeks rose with another triumphant grin, "I almost feel like this is what he's been waiting for all along. All those years and times he told me I was too young... I think he meant it in more ways than one. I mean, he's probably wanted to leave this place forever, but he was way too scared to leave me behind. And since I was too young back then, he could never drag me with. I was still a kid. Why else would he have returned just to tell me how much I've grown up and then explain how he's moving again?"

I nodded. It made sense.

"If he really didn't want me for good, he never would have returned so many times. I bet each time he figured I'd be mature enough to follow him, but really I wasn't. So then he waited another couple years and tried again. It's all coming together now!" He was beginning to babble to himself with his excitement, hardly making any sense at all. I nodded encouragingly and allowed him to ramble on.

"This does seem logical."

He stopped his pace and turned to me, "Right... so the reason I'm here. I've come to say goodbye."

"Oh!" I staggered back, surprised, "You're leaving today?"

"Yes," He rubbed the towel against his wet hair, "I need to find Axel."

"Wow," I whispered, "So quickly."

"There's nothing left for me here." He whispered back, frowning a bit, "You've been a good friend."

I nodded and sat on my bed, staring off. I was in shock at the speed of his actions.

"Maybe I can come back some time and visit?" He added hopefully, tossing the now damp towel in to the hamper.

"I'd like that." I tried to smile, but something was bothering me, "And what if you're wrong with your guess?"

"If I'm wrong then I'll be back to see you later tonight. If I'm right then, well, I guess you'll know, huh?" He began backing towards the door, "I'll call you. Let you know how things are going."

"Right."

"Wait!" He suddenly stopped, holding out the wet folder in his hands, "Can you hold this for me? I'm not really sure where I'll turn up, and these are some of the things I never want to lose, you know?"

"Sure." I grabbed it and set it aside, on to my bed.

He waved as a quick goodbye and I sighed once I heard the front door click shut. All my thoughts instantly turned back to the stories Roxas used to tell me. About his parents, running away, Traverse Town, the hotel, Axel's fits of anger, Demyx' and Zexion's fight, and everything else he had ever shared with me. I'd only known him for a little bit, but I felt as if I'd been right there beside him since he was eleven.

Turning my attention to the purple folder next to me, I gently reached out a hand to pull it open, smiling at the pictures I'd once seen my first day at Roxas' apartment. I had no clue who had drawn the pictures or what they were of back then, but now I could guess each one easily. On top was a black and white sketch of Roxas, sleeping in a bed somewhere I didn't recognize. Beneath that was a drawing of Zexion, leaning back against a wall and staring closely to the side. Next was Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie, sitting down in a court yard and laughing. It was a birds eye view, and I wondered if the artist had been sitting in an upstairs window when she drew it. There was a whole stack under those three, and I pushed it away. Another time I'd look at them.

--

I napped for the rest of the day and when I woke, it was near eleven at night. I eagerly checked my phone for any missed calls, but there was nothing. Axel had accepted Roxas. His theory had been right, I guess.

Moving to glance out the window, I accidentally knocked over the blond's folder, spreading the sheets out all over the floor. With a low curse, I got down on my knees and began to gather them again. A smaller and more wrinkled paper caught my attention, and I immediately reached out to take a closer look. It was mostly done in black, but the figure's eyes held a little color. It was a picture of Roxas... and Axel... together.

It must have been one of her last drawings, because under each of Axel's eyes were two identical triangles. I remembered that Roxas told me he hadn't seen them until four years after he met the redhead, meaning it had to have been between the time Roxas left Traverse Town and Namine's death.

Axel was holding Roxas against his chest, the blond looking as if he was putting up a slight struggle.

She must have figured they'd get together all along.

Or maybe she hadn't... maybe she was just doing a simple drawing. Who could really know... Nothing seemed certain anymore. People can come and go, kids can grow older without warning, and sometimes, if properly helped, a person may find the direction their life has always needed to go; but the troubles didn't make the journey any less desirable.

My phone went off with a shrill ring, notifying me that it was Pence who was now calling. I eagerly gripped the little flip phone in my fingers before propping it open and answering with an enthusiastic, "Hello?"

"Olette!"

Roxas was now on his way, alongside Axel no doubt, and every other person I'd met through my friendship with the blond had settled their lives as well.

Maybe it was time to focus on my own life...

"Hey Pence! Did you finish your math homework?"

**_END_**

* * *

**_-Jaspen_**


End file.
